Oklahoma Sooners 2022 College Football Preview
July 22, 2022
2021 Recap
Record – 11-2
ATS – 7-6
It wasn’t the season that Oklahoma fans were hoping for, that’s for sure. They started out with an impressive 9-0 run, but in hindsight, we should have seen the upcoming ICEBERG as five of those nine wins were one-score affairs. That included close shaves with Tulane, Corn, and West BY GOD Virginia. Oklahoma dropped a pair of Big 12 games down the stretch (Baylor, Oklahoma St) and failed to make the Big 12 title game for the first time since the Reagan Administration **.
Former ace DC Brent Venables rolls into Norman via the Clemson Tigers and will try and get these guys back where they belong.
Let’s go!
** needs fact check
Oklahoma Sooners 2022 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Sooners did some good work on offense LY (39.1 PPG, #8 FBS) but it was the first time since 2014 that they averaged fewer than 40 PPG. They’ll have a new look this year as former Ole Miss (!) OC Jeff Lebby wants to utilize ‘LUDICROUS SPEED’ tempo, and the good news for the Sooners is that Lebby has worked with new starting QB Dillon Gabriel in the past (UCF). Gabriel threw for over 8,000 yards in his time with the Knights and has the arm to make all the throws. Only one WR who booked more than 20 receptions with Oklahoma LY is back for duty and that is HOME RUN HITTER Marvin Mims (705, 22.0). Theo Wease returns from injury this year but they’ll need a highly-touted specimen or two to blossom in order for the THROW GAME to take off. The Sooners move on without 1,200-yard rusher Kennedy Brooks but have a deep room that includes #2 Eric Gray and a few star recruits. We expect someone to emerge as a legit stud by midseason. The offensive line is in great shape as they return over 120 career starts. This looks like a top-10 offense to us but they don’t have the overwhelming star power (on paper) that we’ve seen in years past.
DEFENSE
It’s safe to assume that new HC Brent Venables is going to get these guys playing a better brand of football on defense but Oklahoma returns just five starters on this side of the football and note that they lose their top-two tacklers and top-three (!) sack producers. The area of concern has to be a retooled DL and we’re not sure where the pressure is going to come from in 2022. There’s a good deal of raw talent and enough experience for us to feel good about the LB unit but they’ll need to do a much better job on the back end. Last season the Sooners were an extremely disappointing #100 in pass efficiency D and they’ve got a fairly young starting secondary heading into 2022. This looks like an average defense to us, but of course, having Venables on hand gives them license to be better than advertised. Stay tuned!
SPECIAL TEAMS
Oklahoma boasts one of the best punters in college football in Michael Turk (44.1 net LY!) but will need to replace PK Gabe Brkic who did great work in Norman over the years. It would be helpful to find some SPICE at KR and PR.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – They begin with a pair of guaranteed blowouts but follow that up with a sneaky-tough four-game stretch. Sooner fans will be glad to know that they get Oklahoma St and Baylor at home and don’t have to play back-to-back true road games.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – September 10th – Kent St
This contest follows the home opener and precedes a date with their former YUUUUGE rival from Nebraska. They’ll be laying a bundle of points and we’re almost certainly going to avoid eating the home chalk.
Season Win Total
per BetOnline July 22
Over 9.5 -125
Under 9.5 -105
MEGALOCKS says:
No leanage.
We’d probably take a small taste of the ‘over’ if forced to make a decision but there are several new faces on the roster and in the coaching staff.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Oklahoma has tallied 11 or more wins in every season since 2014 (!). The lone exception was during the truncated 2020 PLANDEMIC season when they went 9-2.
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
Here we go!
We can’t wait to see how this team comes together. Brent Venables has landed in a great spot for his first head coaching gig and probably has the most talented roster in the Big 12. We expect the offense to be really good but the defense doesn’t appear to be anything special. We’ll call for the Sooners to get back to the Big 12 Championship Game but don’t think they’re head and shoulders better than the next three or four teams in the pecking order.
Want more Oklahoma football ?
WEBSITE
https://soonersports.com/sports/football
FORUM
https://www.dirtburglars.com/forum/sports-forums/athletics/football
https://247sports.com/college/oklahoma/Board/FootballRecruiting-103683/
https://oklahoma.forums.rivals.com/forums/the-crimson-corner.12/
NEWS
http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/201/oklahoma-sooners