2011-2012 Football Previews – Big 12 – OU Sooners
We’re to the tenth and final Big 12 team preview. It seems crazy to have a ten team Big 12 Conference and a twelve team Big 10 Conference, but that’s how it is after the past year’s expansion.
Big 12 2011-2012 Football Previews: Oklahoma Sooners
Head Coach: Bob Stoops
2010 Record: 12-2
Oklahoma Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win BCS: +350
Oklahoma Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
The final team we’re going to take a look at in the Big 12 is the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are not only the favorite to win the Big 12, but they are also the favorite to bring home the national title this year.
Bob Stoops has a ton of talent returning this year, and the fan base expects nothing short of a BCS Championship berth. While Stoops may not have taken the Sooners to the top spot in quite a while, it should be pointed out that Oklahoma is 129-31 in his first 12 years at the school. Expect big things from this program in 2011.
Team Strengths:
This is a team that is loaded with strengths on both sides of the football, so there are plenty to pick from. Landry Jones has quickly become one of the better signal callers in college football. Jones averages about 330 yards through the air in 2010 and he has gradually improved his decision making through the past couple years. There’s no reason to expect anything but a continuous improvement from Jones, and that should mean he’ll be terrific this season.
Ryan Broyles may be the best play maker in the country. Broyles is a great special teams player, but he’s also a tremendous wide receiver. Jones has the arm strength to throw a great deep ball, and Broyles can definitely beat just about every cornerback he’ll face this year. Kenny Stills and Trey Franks should be solid wide receivers for this team as well, and the team has a good tight end in James Hanna. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The middle of the defense is extremely strong. The Sooners are led by defensive tackles Stacy McGee and Casey Walker. Right behind them Oklahoma has a terrific group of talented linebackers. Travis Lewis is probably the best of the linebackers, and he can cover a ton of ground with his terrific speed.
Team Weaknesses:
While the Sooners passing attack will be one of the best in the nation, in order to win it all they’ll probably need a little more balance on offense. DeMarco Murray is gone and there are some questions as to how effective the running backs on this team will be.
The secondary is led by senior Jamell Fleming, who is a terrific player, but Oklahoma doesn’t have a ton of depth in the secondary. The safeties have had a tendency to let plays get behind them, which has hurt the team in some big games the last couple years. If someone is going to beat Oklahoma it will probably be through the air.
2011-2012 Oklahoma Football Prediction: 12-2
The Sooners should be very difficult to beat in 2011. The September 17 game at Florida State will be a real test for them early on in the season. Don’t overlook the game at Dallas against Texas and the season finale against Oklahoma State. I expect the Sooners to roll up some amazing offensive numbers this year, and I think they have a good shot of getting to the title game in New Orleans. In the end, I’m picking them to get to the title game and lose, because I do think their lack of balance on offense will eventually catch up with them.
2011 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule
09/03/11 vs. Tulsa
09/17/11 at Florida State
09/24/11 vs. Missouri
10/01/11 vs. Ball State
10/08/11 vs. Texas
10/15/11 at Kansas
10/22/11 vs. Texas Tech
10/29/11 at Kansas State
11/05/11 vs. Texas A&M
11/19/11 at Baylor
11/26/11 vs. Iowa State
12/03/11 at Oklahoma State
2 replies on “2011 Oklahoma Sooners Gambling Odds | Predictions”
“It seems crazy to have a ten team Big 12 Conference and a twelve team Big 10 Conference, but that’s how it is after the past year’s expansion.” — Amen to that Kyle
I think OU only gets 10 wins this year. Just sayin.