OKLAHOMA SOONERS O:5 D:9

The folks down in Norman were all about to jump under their tractors after the Sooners got off to a 2-3 start and was clobbered by Texas, but HC Stoops rallied the troops and they closed out the season as one of the hottest teams in the country winning six of their last seven. Boomer Sooner is getting a ton of pre-season pub this year, and many are forecasting the crimson and cream to be headed to the desert come January. They return a total of 14 starters from a year ago; nine of which come on the defensive side of the ball, so a huge improvement is expected statistically from this group. The 23 PPG they gave up a season ago is not what we’ve come to expect from this outfit, and its highly possible they shave 10 points off that average when this season is all said and done. They’re loaded and deep on the D-Line and quite possibly sport the best back seven in the country. The Sooners also look to pick up the pace offensively. QB Rhett Bomar proved to be a force with both his arm and legs a year ago, and probably would have blossomed in his second year if he hadn’t violated team rules and got kicked off the team. His loss leaves the offense in search of yet another field general. RB Adrian Peterson is back to tote the rock as well looking to stay healthy, but he’ll have to learn to be patient as this will be the most inexperienced front wall he’s run behind. The WR corps should thrive if a confident QB is found, and the Sooners offensive PPG average should rise in ’06.

The schedule’s set up nicely for the Sooners to make some major noise in 2006. Their non-conference slate’s very favorable with three of four coming at home, but their lone trip away is in Autzen where the Ducks play tremendously. They get all the Big 12 big boys at home except for Texas (neutral site), but a trip to College Station could prove deadly in early November. Oklahoma will have its defensive swagger back this season, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the league. When nasty defensively, the Sooners are BCS Bowl mainstays. Looks like the program’s going to get a nice fat check this year!!!