Good review, I think you are right on, since we have arguably the hardest SEC Schedule! I could see us going as bad as 7-5 and as good as 10-2. Looking forward to the season and playing in the SEC.
I agree. The talent is there for a great year, but it’s a tough schedule with a first year starting QB. Either way the foundation is there to keep building up with your Great recruiting and transfer portal classes your bringing in
8-4 is a reasonable prediction, especially given the schedule they'll play. They could lose 4 games and still be one of the 15 best teams in the country.
Jeff lebby leaving was an upgrade. Bad play caller. And Seth littrell was in the building as an analyst all last season. Much higher ceiling with littrell slinging it around and maybe we can actually get a run game going again
Maybe so, but 41.6 ppg is pretty dang good overall. I hear you though. I will be interested to see Littrells play calling and style. That hybrid Leach attack with run sprinkled in. I agree Run game was lacking last season. Hopefully that gets sorted out
Dude should really do more homework before doing these predictions. Just a few blatantly obvious mistakes that kills his credibility: 1. Oklahoma didn't play Houston every year in the B12. Last year was Houston's first year in the league, and OU didn't play them. 2. OU didn't "lose" Dillon Gabriel. If they'd tried to retain him, he would've stayed. Amicable separation because OU was ready to move on, and Gabriel didn't get the draft grade he was hoping for so he decided to stay in college. 3. OU also didn't "lose" Jeff Lebby. You won't find many OU fans that were at all disappointed when he took the Miss. St. job. 4. Jackson Arnold is a far, far more mobile QB than Gabriel ever dreamed of being. 5. "Experience" - OU is returning 79% of its defensive production from last year, tops in the SEC. With all their best players back, a whole bunch of very young talent who got a bunch of playing time last year, a roster now stocked with Venables' recruits, and a 3rd year in the system. If any of Temple, Tulane, or Houston get anywhere 20 points, it will be a miracle. 6. Texas' roster is not better than OU's. Texas lost their best defensive linemen and most of their best skill position players. Only place Texas is obviously better right now is OL (where OU lost all 5 starters), and they've got the more experienced (but not more talented) QB. On the flip side, OU is obviously better and deeper (meaning you're completely uninformed if you try to argue against the point) at WR, LB, S, and CB, and on balance better at DL, DE and RB.
Great points you raise, but hear me out below because my credibility is certainly not shot just because we view things differently. Just as yours isn’t shot 1.) OU has played Houston 2 times last 7 years. And Venables was D cord for OU when they played Houston in 2004. Houston is in the same region as OU, same recruiting ground. Houston team built by Dana Holgerson, Fritz hasn’t turned over roster yet. Holgerson is a Leach guy, Venables is very familiar with Leachs scheme. 2.) I disagree, OU lost Gabriel. No way to spin that. ESPN has Gabriel ranked as 2nd best QB in all of college football for 2024. We can’t spin that any other way. Oregon threw the NIL $ at him. I don’t think OU cared to match because they had Arnold in the wings. But someone choosing to leave your team and play else where is “losing them.” It is what it is. 3.) You did lose Lebby, he literally left… it’s not a big deal though, coordinators get jobs and become HC’s. That’s how it works, it’s not an indictment on OU, if anything you want coaches to want your coordinators. Shows their good. Despite what you say, OU offense was a 3rd in yds and 4th in PPGs. So… you lost him. 4.) Arnold is not more mobile then Gabriel. I don’t buy that. I said in the video, Arnold is mobile, but don’t make him out to be Johnny Manziel. He has above average mobility. 5.) they can get near 20 points, OU last season was 78th in total defense. Don’t make it out like they had Michigans D. I praised their D improvements from yr 1 to 2 under Venables. I said they’d be better probably move into top 50 this year, heck maybe top 30. I praised Venables recruiting and transfer portal skills there. But this isn’t an elite D yet. 78% returning production is great, but new Offensive coordinator, first year QB starter. 6.) Texas roster is better then OU, not even arguable. Texas has 5th best roster in NCAA, OU 8th. Just because I say someone has a better roster then OU isn’t a knock on OU. GA roster is better then Texas, that’s not a knock on Texas either. Don’t let TX hatred distort facts. And nobody on earth would take Arnold over Ewers right now. I’m not saying Arnold won’t surpass Ewers once he is a JR, but right now there is no one who would. Arnold has started what 1 game? Ewers is a 1st rd projected QB. It’s not even the same.
@@3rd-And-Long No disrespect intended, but these were not particularly "homerish" points. For instance: 1. Not playing Houston in the B12 is just a matter of fact. You're trying to spin what you said in the video into something else. But your statement was wrong. Own it. 2. You only "lose" a player if you attempt to retain them. In the time Venables has been there he's turned the roster over something like 90%. That's a lot of players who "left to go play somewhere else" because they weren't going to play any longer at OU (including a lot of guys who started games under Riley or the first year under Venables because he had no choice). They didn't try to retain Gabriel. I'm not saying Gabriel is a bad player or that he won't do a great job as a stop-gap for Oregon. But OU was ready to move on and hand the keys to Arnold. That's simply a fact. 3. Again, OU didn't try to retain Lebby either. He's a good coordinator, runs a good structure, and they're largely going to keep the offense with some tweaking this year under Littrell (who was already in-house). But Lebby is not a consistently good play-caller, far too gimmicky (jet sweeps to non-dynamic slot receivers seem to be a staple), won't utilize the TE, goes long stretches (meaning games on end) without utilizing the middle intermediate area of the field, and singlehandedly cost OU some games it should not have lost. I don't blame you so much on this one because you'd literally have to watch the games to know, but the running question in Norman was whether Lebby would manage to get a HC gig somewhere (based on the macro offensive stats) or be fired first. It turned out the best for everyone. 4. Mobility - you just need to let this go man. Gabriel is not particularly athletic, Arnold is. Go back and look at Arnold's high school rushing numbers (Texas 6A, by the way, so don't come back with the competition point), and then tell me he's not mobile. And just watching the two for any length of time you'd know Arnold is much more mobile. You're just badly, badly wrong on this. 5. Not saying they had Michigan's D. But that's the problem with just looking at season-long stats. OU's D did look a lot like Michigan's early in the season - they gave up 34 points total in 4 non-conference games (8.5/game). Then the injuries came -- Stutsman in particular -- and OU wasn't deep enough yet to maintain that high level. A lot of freshmen and redshirt freshmen got significant playing time because of it. And OU has continued to stock defensive talent through both recruiting and the portal. They might not quite be elite this year yet, but they'll at least be very good. 6. Don't know where you're getting the Texas 5th/OU 8th point. This isn't hatred of Texas. I respect Texas. Always a good game. And I didn't say Arnold was currently better than Ewers - I said that was one of two areas where Texas currently has an advantage. But OU is better on defense across the board. OU also has a better WR room, especially after Texas lost their best 3 WRs and OU upgraded its WR core (that all return sans Stoops -- who's being replaced by Deion Burks from the portal and will be a problem for SEC defenses). I'm not saying OU's roster is miles ahead of Texas; they're similarly talented and at this point OU has a huge experience and production edge on defense and an experience deficit at OL and at QB. First four points are not opinions - they're all facts. Last two have some opinion mixed in, I suppose, but it's informed opinion. How much of OU and Texas football did you watch to come to yours? Therein lies my point. If you're going to do a piece on OU (or any team for that matter), it would be better to rely on facts and informed opinion.
@@corynelson7312 none taken, and I don’t mean any either. I disagree on several of these opinions, let’s call them what they are. All sports talk is opinion.Your obviously an OU fan, and that’s cool. I root for OU and TX as a fan of the sport overall. And I always appreciated the BIG12. I watch OUs games, I watch TX games. I think the problem is i watch everybody’s games. So I don’t only see teams I like and what their good at, I have to compare to all of these teams. If I watch my team, I might see them as having an elite D. Then I watch Michigan play, and I realize my Defense wasn’t so good after all. As I stated I think OU is a good team. You could say an up and coming team. But no matter what, both sides are opinions. At the end of the day, Arnold may do great this year. But Gabriel will probably be invited to heisman ceremony if he doesn’t get hurt, don’t spin it like you won’t care if he gets invited because you had Arnold. He left. Even if you wanted him to leave, he left. He didn’t leave because of OU, or Venables, it was for $, because that’s what college football is all about now. I don’t like that either, I wish he’d stayed. But a lot of these guys are just chasing $ because he won’t be an NFL QB. But leaving is leaving. And every team was wanting him too, from Ohio St to Miami.
@@3rd-And-Long Not hating on you bro, just calling out factually wrong statements or, in some instances, adding important facts that provide necessary context for some of the material in the video that is misleading. I hope Gabriel gets an invite to NYC - heck, I thought he deserved one last year. Want nothing but the best for that guy - he was fantastic while he was at OU. But the folks in Norman believe that there's a NYC invitation or two coming down the pike for Arnold -- maybe not this year, but soon enough. And it's not like OU's not paying players. They could've kept him (and he'd have wanted to stay) if they were motivated to keep him. But they think they can get something close to Gabriel-level production out of Arnold this year (maybe taking it with a few more mistakes), and then the next year or two he takes off and hits another level that's just beyond Gabriel's limitations. It's a risk, no doubt, but it's not a crazy risk. (Pro analogue would be the Rams trading a QB who got them to a Super Bowl - Goff - and additional compensation for a higher upside option - Stafford. Worked out pretty well for both teams.)
@@corynelson7312 no argument there. And good point. I agree and I hope your right. I hope Arnold is a beast. I want to see OU get a champ, been to long over 20 years ago. Riley should have gotten one but he refused to work on that defense. I mean they’ve been in the national champ discussion almost every season for over 20 years. It’s time to punch one thru
My prediction for this season: Temple: 52-0 OU W Houston: 38-6 OU W Tulane: 42-10 OU W Tennessee: 28-24 OU W Auburn: 17-21 OU L Texas: 41-31 OU W South Carolina: 45-21 Ole Miss: 17-35 OU L Maine: 66-7 OU W Mizzou: 45-20 OU W Alabama: 21-27 OU L LSU: 52-48 OU W Final prediction: 9-3 (Floor: 7-5, Ceiling 11-1) Oklahoma has so much defensive guys returning and a new defensive playcaller in Zac Alley who lives and dies by the blitz and likes to cover the middle of the field. Temple, to be honest, just isn’t a good team. They don’t have E.J. Warner anymore who honestly was a pretty good QB and put up over 500 yards on my East Carolina Pirates who didn’t have a bad defense, they don’t have them anymore. I can see Houston and Tulane being SMU type games but they aren’t as good as SMU. Texas’ secondary looks very suspect again and they lost a lot of their interior and wasn’t able to get a lot from the portal in terms of d-linemen. The projected starting WRs for Texas came from the portal and all have to learn sarks system in one offseason. They don’t have Worthy anymore to lean on whenever someone like AD might be struggling cause he was still new to the system. JA and the o-line should be gelled by then. Some weird stuff happens at O’Hare so I see it being a trench warfare, really slow slugfest and Auburn comes out on top. OU is gonna take those MIZZOU fans comments about wishing an EF5 tornado hits Norman seriously and will probably be pissed off from that so I can see an angry Oklahoma team beating the brakes off of mizzou. Ole Miss is just gonna be really good. They added so much. Bama is still gonna be a powerhouse and kalen is a proven coach with a lot more talent. OU and LSU game is gonna be a shootout
Jackson arnold has a higher ceiling than gabriel. Gabriel was leaving no matter where to because of arnold. Ou was gonna roll with arnold no matter what and they made that clear to DG
The fact ur saying that these nobody's are gonna keep it close to Oklahoma is nuts I'm only worried about 3 games and I believe we can win at least 2 those are Texas Alabama and Lsu
Lol I hear you. It’s sports, there will be games that are close that you wouldn’t think would be. I don’t see curb stomping everyone every week. So your thinking 11-1 then?
@@claypennington602 lol I agree with you. 11-1 isn’t happening this year. It’s a brutal schedule. OU just needs to keep making improvements each season and they’ll have 11-1 soon enough in due time
LSU returns 7/11 starters offensively. Just because they lost Daniels and a couple of receivers doesn't mean they are going to turn into a bad offense. Oklahoma is not going to beat LSU in baton rouge
I can hear you there, but they’ll be taking a big step back at those skilled positions. Nussmier is ok, but personally I don’t see anyone near the level of Daniel’s. So that would mean a decent step back on offense. So their D will have to make significant strides forward to match their record lay season. But sure it’s possible, and the roster is loaded. What do you think their record will be this year?
@@3rd-And-Long So basically what you're saying is that LSU will just all of a sudden not have good receivers anymore? After 20+ years of elite receiver play this year all of a sudden they will just stop having good receivers? #casualalert
@@GeauxTigers7189 not at all, I never said they wouldn’t have good receiver play. I praised their roster. But your losing 3 offensive players in the first half of the first round, one the Heisman winner. It’s reasonable to expect a step back, but to just continue on and churn out the same production next season. Also having Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham on the same team years ago didn’t help their offense at all, actually their offense wasn’t good back them because they had bad QB play. So, Nussmier I’m saying I don’t believe is very good. A major step back from Heisman winner Daniel’s
@@GeauxTigers7189 very possible, and wouldn’t surprise me. But their D is going to have to make some big steps forward if their offense doesn’t match last seasons production. I don’t see them averaging 46 points per game on offense again this year. But maybe I’m wrong
Oklahoma coming to Baton Rouge, at night, beating an LSU team that has the most talented offensive roster in the SEC? You do realize LSU has only lost one home game in the last 2 years right? It was against a 11-2 Tennessee who had a heisman contender QB at 11 am in the morning in the middle of the season. They are more likely to lose by double digits than beat LSU in the last game of the season in Death Valley at night.
Very possible, wouldn’t put it pat them. Best offensive roster in SEC… I don’t know about that. I do rave about LSU’s overall roster but I still have questions about QB. And if you don’t have a great QB you fall behind almost any top 10 team. I also wouldn’t put Oklahoma to far behind LSU roster, there’s not much disparity there to me
This is Oklahoma you're talking about. Last season the refs beat the Sooners, otherwise they go to the post season undefeated. Hahahaha..keep on hating OU, but OU Will play.
Lol, I hope this is just a joke. I don’t hate on OU at all, their not my personal team but I do root for them. I liked Stoops, Riley, and Venables. But there’s no way OU is undefeated last season. Just because they’ve had a great history doesn’t mean we can gloss over losses. And this seasons schedule is 10 times harder then that easy schedule last year. It’s not hating, just my honest unbiased opinion. Let me ask, what do you predict they’ll do this season?
@@3rd-And-Long Wasn't the refs' fault, but OU could've and should've gone undefeated at least in regular season. Lost to Kansas and OSU. Kansas was 100% on Lebby because he puckered up when Gabriel threw an ill-advised pick-6 early in the game. Only threw the ball 13 times all game (and nothing more than 5 yards downfield) before last-minute desperation drive at the end. Was cold and rainy, but not that windy, and Kansas let Billy Bean throw downfield all game. OSU was weird, had several starters out (including Stutsman). No way they should've lost that game. Agreed the schedule will be harder, but OU will still have a top-3/4 roster in the league, and they don't play Georgia. Defense will be top-3 in SEC.
@@corynelson7312 I like that analysis. I could see that. But a lot of teams would say similar about some of their games. Heck if Mario Cristobal learned how to take a knee UM wins 2 more games lol. If McCord doesn’t lay an egg at end of game Ohio St beats Michigan. But I hear you out, they could have done it
@@3rd-And-Long Have you seen OU's games last year? I have, though I left the USA 13 years ago, I couldn't leave football. USA has become a corrupt country in all spheres. Like the Nazis they haven't left the sport untainted that I love so much. It's was a joke how the refs treated OU last year, showing the finger to what I knew the USA stood for. Anyway, long thing short, even the SEC is afraid to play OU in a just setting. OU went 47-0 one time, a record still unbroken. I don't know why people hate OU. My prediction is playing good football in all categories and even if we loose after that, no worries mate.
Seriously, coulda should of been 11-1 with a rematch in the championship game. The no call against the Pokes which was obvious pass interference on what was going to be the game winning TD catch. The refs, no question in my mind threw the game. If you think it doesn't happen, you're incredibly gullible.
Realistic OU fans would say 10-2 at best (1 loss out of Bama/LSU at end of season, and another on the road - Ole Miss or Texas), 8-4 at worst. We view the 7.5 Vegas line as easy money on the over unless something weird happens. "Weird" meaning (1) an ungodly rash of injuries to key starters, (2) for the first time in his career, Bill Bedenbough can't get the OL figured out and puts a bad product on the field, or (3) turns out Jackson Arnold can't process the college game fast enough and all that physical talent doesn't amount to much because he can't stop turning the ball over.
@@jdwilmoth Ha! You used the term "Chokelahoma." No actual OU fan would ever use that term. And if you somehow happened to have been an OU fan at some point in your life but have become so bitter as to use that term now, it's time to go find another hobby. You're no longer a "fan," and certainly not a "realistic Oklahoma fan."
Who's going to be the scapegoat for these crying ass Oklahoma fans when they have a bad season this upcoming season? They don't have Lebby and Gabriel to blame anymore they got tired of all the hate and said f*** y'all I'm out of here Oklahoma's defense was garbage last season after the Texas game but course all of the blame was put on Jeff Lebby the special teams was trash but that was obviously Jeff Lebbys Brent venables clock management was total garbage but of course that was Jeff Lebbys fault tell me who's going to be the scapegoat this season since you don't have him to blame anymore? And let's not forget about the boneheaded penalties all of the hate started on Lebby after Parker thune's fake reporting when he was reporting that art briles was on the sidelines during a game which is not true he was in the stands during the game what's he had every right to be there if he had a ticket he came on the field after the game then Lebby started taking a lot of heat over it if I would have been him I would have said look here f*** all of y'all I'm out of here and left right then we went from one of the best offensive coordinators in the country to these two wannabes I have no confidence whatsoever in these new offensive coordinators it's obvious Seth littrell isn't that good or he wouldn't have been fired at North Texas State I'm expecting a 6 -6 season this year with losses to Texas Alabama LSU Ole Miss Tennessee Auburn and who knows maybe even a loss to Tulane I'm starting to think venables is in over his head and I never thought I would be saying that because I like that guy but if he goes six and six this season he needs to be fired
Lol that’s a good breakdown. If they fall 6-6 there’s going to be a lot of noise. Venables had a good yr 2. He can’t afford to take any steps back or he’s going to feel the heat.
@@3rd-And-Long no he won't feel the heat somebody else will be the scapegoat just like Jeff Lebby and I think he is going to have a step back because I don't think Seth is the right man to run the offense I'm no longer a fan of the air raid or the hurry up offense because it puts too much pressure on the defense they spend too much time on the field either that fast-paced deep offense scores real fast or it's a disaster either way the defense spends most of the game on the field
@@jdwilmoth Mike Leachs air raid offense was my favorite growing up. I loved that stuff, still do. It’s changed football, him and Chip Kelly. I’m curious to see what Littrell does at OU also. I still like the air raid, but agree on the defensive strain. But it’s worked so long at OU. Riley ran an air raid hybrid, and it worked wonders. But Riley is one of the best offensive play callers in football. Venables knows defense, so I guess you have to hope he knows a guy who would stress out his own defense
It will always be the Red River Shootout to me. Horns Down!
One of the best rivalries
By the half in Dallas there will only be ORANGE in the stadium. The land-grabbers will lose huge this year! \,,/ Hook'em \,,/
@@ideacrafter We shall see.
@@ideacrafter lol
@@bedlam1314 no matter the outcome always a great game. Hope it’s close no matter who wins
Oklahoma never played Houston “every season” in the Big12. Houston joined the Big 12 last year and didn’t play OU
Your right, they did play a few times in last few years though. And same recruiting ground
Good review, I think you are right on, since we have arguably the hardest SEC Schedule! I could see us going as bad as 7-5 and as good as 10-2. Looking forward to the season and playing in the SEC.
I agree. The talent is there for a great year, but it’s a tough schedule with a first year starting QB. Either way the foundation is there to keep building up with your Great recruiting and transfer portal classes your bringing in
I’m thinking 9-3. I think they can at least keep up with everyone on the schedule. It all really depends on how JA does and the line on both sides
That’s a good take. They rise how high he can carry them
OKLAHOMA vs the world!! BOOOOMER
Nothing wrong with that man, back your boys! It’s a storied program
8-4 is a reasonable prediction, especially given the schedule they'll play. They could lose 4 games and still be one of the 15 best teams in the country.
Yeah I can agree with that for sure. It’s probably a top 5 rough schedule
Jeff lebby leaving was an upgrade. Bad play caller. And Seth littrell was in the building as an analyst all last season. Much higher ceiling with littrell slinging it around and maybe we can actually get a run game going again
Maybe so, but 41.6 ppg is pretty dang good overall. I hear you though. I will be interested to see Littrells play calling and style. That hybrid Leach attack with run sprinkled in. I agree Run game was lacking last season. Hopefully that gets sorted out
Dude should really do more homework before doing these predictions. Just a few blatantly obvious mistakes that kills his credibility:
1. Oklahoma didn't play Houston every year in the B12. Last year was Houston's first year in the league, and OU didn't play them.
2. OU didn't "lose" Dillon Gabriel. If they'd tried to retain him, he would've stayed. Amicable separation because OU was ready to move on, and Gabriel didn't get the draft grade he was hoping for so he decided to stay in college.
3. OU also didn't "lose" Jeff Lebby. You won't find many OU fans that were at all disappointed when he took the Miss. St. job.
4. Jackson Arnold is a far, far more mobile QB than Gabriel ever dreamed of being.
5. "Experience" - OU is returning 79% of its defensive production from last year, tops in the SEC. With all their best players back, a whole bunch of very young talent who got a bunch of playing time last year, a roster now stocked with Venables' recruits, and a 3rd year in the system. If any of Temple, Tulane, or Houston get anywhere 20 points, it will be a miracle.
6. Texas' roster is not better than OU's. Texas lost their best defensive linemen and most of their best skill position players. Only place Texas is obviously better right now is OL (where OU lost all 5 starters), and they've got the more experienced (but not more talented) QB. On the flip side, OU is obviously better and deeper (meaning you're completely uninformed if you try to argue against the point) at WR, LB, S, and CB, and on balance better at DL, DE and RB.
Great points you raise, but hear me out below because my credibility is certainly not shot just because we view things differently. Just as yours isn’t shot
1.) OU has played Houston 2 times last 7 years. And Venables was D cord for OU when they played Houston in 2004. Houston is in the same region as OU, same recruiting ground. Houston team built by Dana Holgerson, Fritz hasn’t turned over roster yet. Holgerson is a Leach guy, Venables is very familiar with Leachs scheme.
2.) I disagree, OU lost Gabriel. No way to spin that. ESPN has Gabriel ranked as 2nd best QB in all of college football for 2024. We can’t spin that any other way. Oregon threw the NIL $ at him. I don’t think OU cared to match because they had Arnold in the wings. But someone choosing to leave your team and play else where is “losing them.” It is what it is.
3.) You did lose Lebby, he literally left… it’s not a big deal though, coordinators get jobs and become HC’s. That’s how it works, it’s not an indictment on OU, if anything you want coaches to want your coordinators. Shows their good. Despite what you say, OU offense was a 3rd in yds and 4th in PPGs. So… you lost him.
4.) Arnold is not more mobile then Gabriel. I don’t buy that. I said in the video, Arnold is mobile, but don’t make him out to be Johnny Manziel. He has above average mobility.
5.) they can get near 20 points, OU last season was 78th in total defense. Don’t make it out like they had Michigans D. I praised their D improvements from yr 1 to 2 under Venables. I said they’d be better probably move into top 50 this year, heck maybe top 30. I praised Venables recruiting and transfer portal skills there. But this isn’t an elite D yet. 78% returning production is great, but new Offensive coordinator, first year QB starter.
6.) Texas roster is better then OU, not even arguable. Texas has 5th best roster in NCAA, OU 8th. Just because I say someone has a better roster then OU isn’t a knock on OU. GA roster is better then Texas, that’s not a knock on Texas either. Don’t let TX hatred distort facts. And nobody on earth would take Arnold over Ewers right now. I’m not saying Arnold won’t surpass Ewers once he is a JR, but right now there is no one who would. Arnold has started what 1 game? Ewers is a 1st rd projected QB. It’s not even the same.
@@3rd-And-Long No disrespect intended, but these were not particularly "homerish" points. For instance:
1. Not playing Houston in the B12 is just a matter of fact. You're trying to spin what you said in the video into something else. But your statement was wrong. Own it.
2. You only "lose" a player if you attempt to retain them. In the time Venables has been there he's turned the roster over something like 90%. That's a lot of players who "left to go play somewhere else" because they weren't going to play any longer at OU (including a lot of guys who started games under Riley or the first year under Venables because he had no choice). They didn't try to retain Gabriel. I'm not saying Gabriel is a bad player or that he won't do a great job as a stop-gap for Oregon. But OU was ready to move on and hand the keys to Arnold. That's simply a fact.
3. Again, OU didn't try to retain Lebby either. He's a good coordinator, runs a good structure, and they're largely going to keep the offense with some tweaking this year under Littrell (who was already in-house). But Lebby is not a consistently good play-caller, far too gimmicky (jet sweeps to non-dynamic slot receivers seem to be a staple), won't utilize the TE, goes long stretches (meaning games on end) without utilizing the middle intermediate area of the field, and singlehandedly cost OU some games it should not have lost. I don't blame you so much on this one because you'd literally have to watch the games to know, but the running question in Norman was whether Lebby would manage to get a HC gig somewhere (based on the macro offensive stats) or be fired first. It turned out the best for everyone.
4. Mobility - you just need to let this go man. Gabriel is not particularly athletic, Arnold is. Go back and look at Arnold's high school rushing numbers (Texas 6A, by the way, so don't come back with the competition point), and then tell me he's not mobile. And just watching the two for any length of time you'd know Arnold is much more mobile. You're just badly, badly wrong on this.
5. Not saying they had Michigan's D. But that's the problem with just looking at season-long stats. OU's D did look a lot like Michigan's early in the season - they gave up 34 points total in 4 non-conference games (8.5/game). Then the injuries came -- Stutsman in particular -- and OU wasn't deep enough yet to maintain that high level. A lot of freshmen and redshirt freshmen got significant playing time because of it. And OU has continued to stock defensive talent through both recruiting and the portal. They might not quite be elite this year yet, but they'll at least be very good.
6. Don't know where you're getting the Texas 5th/OU 8th point. This isn't hatred of Texas. I respect Texas. Always a good game. And I didn't say Arnold was currently better than Ewers - I said that was one of two areas where Texas currently has an advantage. But OU is better on defense across the board. OU also has a better WR room, especially after Texas lost their best 3 WRs and OU upgraded its WR core (that all return sans Stoops -- who's being replaced by Deion Burks from the portal and will be a problem for SEC defenses). I'm not saying OU's roster is miles ahead of Texas; they're similarly talented and at this point OU has a huge experience and production edge on defense and an experience deficit at OL and at QB.
First four points are not opinions - they're all facts. Last two have some opinion mixed in, I suppose, but it's informed opinion. How much of OU and Texas football did you watch to come to yours? Therein lies my point. If you're going to do a piece on OU (or any team for that matter), it would be better to rely on facts and informed opinion.
@@corynelson7312 none taken, and I don’t mean any either. I disagree on several of these opinions, let’s call them what they are. All sports talk is opinion.Your obviously an OU fan, and that’s cool. I root for OU and TX as a fan of the sport overall. And I always appreciated the BIG12. I watch OUs games, I watch TX games. I think the problem is i watch everybody’s games. So I don’t only see teams I like and what their good at, I have to compare to all of these teams. If I watch my team, I might see them as having an elite D. Then I watch Michigan play, and I realize my Defense wasn’t so good after all. As I stated I think OU is a good team. You could say an up and coming team. But no matter what, both sides are opinions. At the end of the day, Arnold may do great this year. But Gabriel will probably be invited to heisman ceremony if he doesn’t get hurt, don’t spin it like you won’t care if he gets invited because you had Arnold. He left. Even if you wanted him to leave, he left. He didn’t leave because of OU, or Venables, it was for $, because that’s what college football is all about now. I don’t like that either, I wish he’d stayed. But a lot of these guys are just chasing $ because he won’t be an NFL QB. But leaving is leaving. And every team was wanting him too, from Ohio St to Miami.
@@3rd-And-Long Not hating on you bro, just calling out factually wrong statements or, in some instances, adding important facts that provide necessary context for some of the material in the video that is misleading. I hope Gabriel gets an invite to NYC - heck, I thought he deserved one last year. Want nothing but the best for that guy - he was fantastic while he was at OU. But the folks in Norman believe that there's a NYC invitation or two coming down the pike for Arnold -- maybe not this year, but soon enough. And it's not like OU's not paying players. They could've kept him (and he'd have wanted to stay) if they were motivated to keep him. But they think they can get something close to Gabriel-level production out of Arnold this year (maybe taking it with a few more mistakes), and then the next year or two he takes off and hits another level that's just beyond Gabriel's limitations. It's a risk, no doubt, but it's not a crazy risk. (Pro analogue would be the Rams trading a QB who got them to a Super Bowl - Goff - and additional compensation for a higher upside option - Stafford. Worked out pretty well for both teams.)
@@corynelson7312 no argument there. And good point. I agree and I hope your right. I hope Arnold is a beast. I want to see OU get a champ, been to long over 20 years ago. Riley should have gotten one but he refused to work on that defense. I mean they’ve been in the national champ discussion almost every season for over 20 years. It’s time to punch one thru
My prediction for this season:
Temple: 52-0 OU W
Houston: 38-6 OU W
Tulane: 42-10 OU W
Tennessee: 28-24 OU W
Auburn: 17-21 OU L
Texas: 41-31 OU W
South Carolina: 45-21
Ole Miss: 17-35 OU L
Maine: 66-7 OU W
Mizzou: 45-20 OU W
Alabama: 21-27 OU L
LSU: 52-48 OU W
Final prediction: 9-3 (Floor: 7-5, Ceiling 11-1)
Oklahoma has so much defensive guys returning and a new defensive playcaller in Zac Alley who lives and dies by the blitz and likes to cover the middle of the field. Temple, to be honest, just isn’t a good team. They don’t have E.J. Warner anymore who honestly was a pretty good QB and put up over 500 yards on my East Carolina Pirates who didn’t have a bad defense, they don’t have them anymore. I can see Houston and Tulane being SMU type games but they aren’t as good as SMU. Texas’ secondary looks very suspect again and they lost a lot of their interior and wasn’t able to get a lot from the portal in terms of d-linemen. The projected starting WRs for Texas came from the portal and all have to learn sarks system in one offseason. They don’t have Worthy anymore to lean on whenever someone like AD might be struggling cause he was still new to the system. JA and the o-line should be gelled by then.
Some weird stuff happens at O’Hare so I see it being a trench warfare, really slow slugfest and Auburn comes out on top.
OU is gonna take those MIZZOU fans comments about wishing an EF5 tornado hits Norman seriously and will probably be pissed off from that so I can see an angry Oklahoma team beating the brakes off of mizzou.
Ole Miss is just gonna be really good. They added so much.
Bama is still gonna be a powerhouse and kalen is a proven coach with a lot more talent.
OU and LSU game is gonna be a shootout
Like it. Very good informative info, great breakdown. I agree on all those points and like the picks
Sounds to me like there will be more running game than people think.
They need to concentrate on that, then yeah they'd be super balanced
Jackson arnold has a higher ceiling than gabriel. Gabriel was leaving no matter where to because of arnold. Ou was gonna roll with arnold no matter what and they made that clear to DG
Maybe so, but DG will probably be a heisman candidate this season
The fact ur saying that these nobody's are gonna keep it close to Oklahoma is nuts I'm only worried about 3 games and I believe we can win at least 2 those are Texas Alabama and Lsu
Lol I hear you. It’s sports, there will be games that are close that you wouldn’t think would be. I don’t see curb stomping everyone every week. So your thinking 11-1 then?
@@3rd-And-Long 10 and 2 most likely
@@charlestarver2744 nice, that could make playoffs maybe.
OU - going at least 10-2 or 11-1 you can count on that. Boomer #OUDNA
Nice, whose the 1 or 2 loses to do you think?
@@3rd-And-Long Never know,but they will fool a lot of people.
@@wendellolden1796 I can see that happening, very possible and would be cool if it did first year in SEC
Oklahoma is goin 11-1 stop the wish hating.
Lol, that would be cool. Who is the single loss to?
Lol, no we are not going 11-1 be realistic
@@claypennington602 lol I agree with you. 11-1 isn’t happening this year. It’s a brutal schedule. OU just needs to keep making improvements each season and they’ll have 11-1 soon enough in due time
I think they will go 6 -6
@@jdwilmoth schedule is brutal enough to where that’s possible. There’d be hell to pay though
LSU returns 7/11 starters offensively. Just because they lost Daniels and a couple of receivers doesn't mean they are going to turn into a bad offense. Oklahoma is not going to beat LSU in baton rouge
I can hear you there, but they’ll be taking a big step back at those skilled positions. Nussmier is ok, but personally I don’t see anyone near the level of Daniel’s. So that would mean a decent step back on offense. So their D will have to make significant strides forward to match their record lay season. But sure it’s possible, and the roster is loaded. What do you think their record will be this year?
@@3rd-And-Long So basically what you're saying is that LSU will just all of a sudden not have good receivers anymore? After 20+ years of elite receiver play this year all of a sudden they will just stop having good receivers? #casualalert
@@3rd-And-Long LSU is a 9 or 10 win team that will still have a high flying offense while trying to figure out stuff on defense.
@@GeauxTigers7189 not at all, I never said they wouldn’t have good receiver play. I praised their roster. But your losing 3 offensive players in the first half of the first round, one the Heisman winner. It’s reasonable to expect a step back, but to just continue on and churn out the same production next season. Also having Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham on the same team years ago didn’t help their offense at all, actually their offense wasn’t good back them because they had bad QB play. So, Nussmier I’m saying I don’t believe is very good. A major step back from Heisman winner Daniel’s
@@GeauxTigers7189 very possible, and wouldn’t surprise me. But their D is going to have to make some big steps forward if their offense doesn’t match last seasons production. I don’t see them averaging 46 points per game on offense again this year. But maybe I’m wrong
Oklahoma is not beating LSU in Death Valley. Especially if it's a night game.
Maybe not. That defense will need to take some steps forward. But no doubt one of the hardest places to play is Death Valley
Oklahoma coming to Baton Rouge, at night, beating an LSU team that has the most talented offensive roster in the SEC?
You do realize LSU has only lost one home game in the last 2 years right? It was against a 11-2 Tennessee who had a heisman contender QB at 11 am in the morning in the middle of the season.
They are more likely to lose by double digits than beat LSU in the last game of the season in Death Valley at night.
Very possible, wouldn’t put it pat them. Best offensive roster in SEC… I don’t know about that. I do rave about LSU’s overall roster but I still have questions about QB. And if you don’t have a great QB you fall behind almost any top 10 team. I also wouldn’t put Oklahoma to far behind LSU roster, there’s not much disparity there to me
BUMMER!
Should be a strong season with opportunities to set a good foundation with the youth
10-2 or 11-1
@@RaymondPexton I like that
This is Oklahoma you're talking about. Last season the refs beat the Sooners, otherwise they go to the post season undefeated. Hahahaha..keep on hating OU, but OU Will play.
Lol, I hope this is just a joke. I don’t hate on OU at all, their not my personal team but I do root for them. I liked Stoops, Riley, and Venables. But there’s no way OU is undefeated last season. Just because they’ve had a great history doesn’t mean we can gloss over losses. And this seasons schedule is 10 times harder then that easy schedule last year. It’s not hating, just my honest unbiased opinion. Let me ask, what do you predict they’ll do this season?
@@3rd-And-Long Wasn't the refs' fault, but OU could've and should've gone undefeated at least in regular season. Lost to Kansas and OSU. Kansas was 100% on Lebby because he puckered up when Gabriel threw an ill-advised pick-6 early in the game. Only threw the ball 13 times all game (and nothing more than 5 yards downfield) before last-minute desperation drive at the end. Was cold and rainy, but not that windy, and Kansas let Billy Bean throw downfield all game. OSU was weird, had several starters out (including Stutsman). No way they should've lost that game. Agreed the schedule will be harder, but OU will still have a top-3/4 roster in the league, and they don't play Georgia. Defense will be top-3 in SEC.
@@corynelson7312 I like that analysis. I could see that. But a lot of teams would say similar about some of their games. Heck if Mario Cristobal learned how to take a knee UM wins 2 more games lol. If McCord doesn’t lay an egg at end of game Ohio St beats Michigan. But I hear you out, they could have done it
@@3rd-And-Long Have you seen OU's games last year? I have, though I left the USA 13 years ago, I couldn't leave football. USA has become a corrupt country in all spheres. Like the Nazis they haven't left the sport untainted that I love so much. It's was a joke how the refs treated OU last year, showing the finger to what I knew the USA stood for. Anyway, long thing short, even the SEC is afraid to play OU in a just setting. OU went 47-0 one time, a record still unbroken. I don't know why people hate OU.
My prediction is playing good football in all categories and even if we loose after that, no worries mate.
Seriously, coulda should of been 11-1 with a rematch in the championship game. The no call against the Pokes which was obvious pass interference on what was going to be the game winning TD catch. The refs, no question in my mind threw the game. If you think it doesn't happen, you're incredibly gullible.
You will see how wrong your stats are for OU
@@RaymondPexton lol the record? What record we’re you predicting this year? I think there getting there, just breaking in a new qb
Oklahoma will struggle
Tough tough schedule
lol I don’t think so
@@steventyler7352 I hear you, what’s your prediction then
I’m going 10-2 but 9-3 would be satisfactory
@@steventyler7352 agreed, would be a strong finish to the year first year in the SEC
I say 9-3 best, 7-5 worse
Yep, I went down the middle 8-4
Realistic OU fans would say 10-2 at best (1 loss out of Bama/LSU at end of season, and another on the road - Ole Miss or Texas), 8-4 at worst. We view the 7.5 Vegas line as easy money on the over unless something weird happens. "Weird" meaning (1) an ungodly rash of injuries to key starters, (2) for the first time in his career, Bill Bedenbough can't get the OL figured out and puts a bad product on the field, or (3) turns out Jackson Arnold can't process the college game fast enough and all that physical talent doesn't amount to much because he can't stop turning the ball over.
@@corynelson7312 I'm a realistic Oklahoma fan and I'm saying 6 -6
@@jdwilmoth Ha! You used the term "Chokelahoma." No actual OU fan would ever use that term. And if you somehow happened to have been an OU fan at some point in your life but have become so bitter as to use that term now, it's time to go find another hobby. You're no longer a "fan," and certainly not a "realistic Oklahoma fan."
Im predictioning 7 and 6
Always possible with that schedule, not a stretch
Dude honestly do your homework,
Do explain?…
Who's going to be the scapegoat for these crying ass Oklahoma fans when they have a bad season this upcoming season? They don't have Lebby and Gabriel to blame anymore they got tired of all the hate and said f*** y'all I'm out of here Oklahoma's defense was garbage last season after the Texas game but course all of the blame was put on Jeff Lebby the special teams was trash but that was obviously Jeff Lebbys Brent venables clock management was total garbage but of course that was Jeff Lebbys fault tell me who's going to be the scapegoat this season since you don't have him to blame anymore? And let's not forget about the boneheaded penalties all of the hate started on Lebby after Parker thune's fake reporting when he was reporting that art briles was on the sidelines during a game which is not true he was in the stands during the game what's he had every right to be there if he had a ticket he came on the field after the game then Lebby started taking a lot of heat over it if I would have been him I would have said look here f*** all of y'all I'm out of here and left right then we went from one of the best offensive coordinators in the country to these two wannabes I have no confidence whatsoever in these new offensive coordinators it's obvious Seth littrell isn't that good or he wouldn't have been fired at North Texas State I'm expecting a 6 -6 season this year with losses to Texas Alabama LSU Ole Miss Tennessee Auburn and who knows maybe even a loss to Tulane I'm starting to think venables is in over his head and I never thought I would be saying that because I like that guy but if he goes six and six this season he needs to be fired
Lol that’s a good breakdown. If they fall 6-6 there’s going to be a lot of noise. Venables had a good yr 2. He can’t afford to take any steps back or he’s going to feel the heat.
@@3rd-And-Long no he won't feel the heat somebody else will be the scapegoat just like Jeff Lebby and I think he is going to have a step back because I don't think Seth is the right man to run the offense I'm no longer a fan of the air raid or the hurry up offense because it puts too much pressure on the defense they spend too much time on the field either that fast-paced deep offense scores real fast or it's a disaster either way the defense spends most of the game on the field
Lol...Jeff Lebby's cousin (or brother, or wife) has officially entered the chat. You do you, hoss. ; )
@@jdwilmoth Mike Leachs air raid offense was my favorite growing up. I loved that stuff, still do. It’s changed football, him and Chip Kelly. I’m curious to see what Littrell does at OU also. I still like the air raid, but agree on the defensive strain. But it’s worked so long at OU. Riley ran an air raid hybrid, and it worked wonders. But Riley is one of the best offensive play callers in football. Venables knows defense, so I guess you have to hope he knows a guy who would stress out his own defense
@@corynelson7312 lol that’s funny