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When Bob Stoops left Oklahoma in the summer of 2017, a lot of question marks rose for one of the most talented teams in the country. Not to mention star quarterback Baker Mayfield’s embarrassing encounter with the police. Nonetheless, Lincoln Riley was able to put all the nonsense aside and start the season with a bang that included a stomp down of Ohio State, the number two team in the country at the time. After one more bump in the road, that included a head-scratching loss to Iowa State, Oklahoma grinded its way to a 12-1 season, that ended with a loss in the first round of the college football playoff. With a minimal drop off in overall roster talent for the 2018 season, Lincoln Riley will look to get his first national championship in just his second year at the helm of things.
2018-19 Summary
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In a blue blood college football dynasty, new head coach Lincoln Riley will look to build off of his success from year one. Thanks to a loaded roster and star quarterback Baker Mayfield, the number one overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Sooners cruised to a 12-2 record and fell one game short of the national championship after securing the two-seed in the college football playoff. It is never easy to replace a number one overall pick, however, his successor, Kyler Murray, a former number one recruit himself, shouldn’t allow the offense to drop a beat. He’s flashed his raw athletic ability in limited play, and now, with a full-time starting gig, it’s not absurd to consider him as one of the Heisman hopefuls. As far as the schedule goes, the Sooners have one of the easier paths in the country to a perfect season. Yes, Chip Kelly is trying to rebuild the UCLA program, but they will be nothing close to his finished product when the two team match-up in week two. For the in-conference schedule, Texas, TCU, and Kansas will pose the biggest threat, but assuming neither side has any critical injuries, Oklahoma will be heavy favorites in those games. In state rival, Oklahoma State could also pose a threat, but with that game being played at Oklahoma, it would be a miracle for the Cowboys to pull off that upset. Expect another a trip to the playoffs for the Sooners, and don’t be surprised if Kyler Murray can achieve the team goals that Baker Mayfield couldn’t.
Record: Wins 12, Losses 0
Week 1: Oklahoma 42, Florida Atlantic 17 (W)
Week 2: Oklahoma 38, UCLA 20 (W)
Week 3: Oklahoma 42, Iowa State 14 (W)
Week 4: Oklahoma 35, Army 13 (W)
Week 5: Oklahoma 30, Baylor 16 (W)
Week 6: Oklahoma 41, Texas 28 (W)
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: Oklahoma 27, TCU 23 (W)
Week 9: Oklahoma 31, Kansas State 13 (W)
Week 10: Oklahoma 42, Texas Tech 20 (W)
Week 11: Oklahoma 30, Oklahoma State 24 (W)
Week 12: Oklahoma 49, Kansas 21 (W)
Week 13: Oklahoma 38, West Virginia 35 (W)
