Oklahoma Sooners:
Brent Venables’ first year in Norman was a bit of a nightmare, as the Sooners went 6-7. Last year was a lot better, as Oklahoma went 10-3 and picked up a big win over Texas. However, the Sooners are now in the SEC, so they’re going to need to turn things up a notch in every way imaginable. Venables needs to recruit like hell to keep up with some of the elite programs in this conference.
Oklahoma should be really strong defensively this season, as Venables returns a lot of key pieces and they’re all going to know exactly how to execute his system. The Sooners also have a very talented quarterback in Jackson Arnold. However, Oklahoma’s offensive line is shaky and the schedule is tough.
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Offense
Losing Dillon Gabriel is never a good thing, but it is exciting that we’ll see a full season of Arnold under center. The former five-star recruit started Oklahoma’s bowl game against Arizona, throwing for 361 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in the loss. It was an up-and-down performance, but his talent was on full display. Arnold has a good arm and can really put the ball down and run.
Oklahoma also brings back a stud in running back Gavin Sawchuk, who was electric to end the 2023 season. Now, the question will be whether or not the Sooners can block. If they can, Oklahoma will have a real shot at exceeding expectations in 2024. But I have my doubts, as this team will be starting five new players up front.
Defense
Last season, Oklahoma gave up only 23.5 points per game. The Sooners had their struggles against some elite offenses, but they showed a lot of progress after a difficult Year 1 under Venables. Now, Oklahoma brings back eight players with starting experience, and that includes stars Billy Bowman Jr. and Danny Stutsman. The Sooners also picked up a massive transfer portal addition in tackle Damonic Williams.
If Venables can find a way to patch up the secondary a little, the Sooners will be one of the best defensive teams in the conference. He’s really starting to make this look a lot like a defense he’d have at Clemson, so things are moving in the right direction here.
Outlook
Nobody is going to be excited about playing Oklahoma this year, as Arnold is a big-time talent at quarterback and the defense is going to be superb. But I don’t know how you can look at this schedule and find eight wins. Even some of the early-season home games are dicey. I don’t think the Tulane game is a surefire win, and the Sooners would pretty much need to beat Tennessee in order to win eight games.
Pick: Under 7.5 Wins
