Preseason mags take a look at Sooners

John Shinn
The Norman Transcript

July 13, 2008 01:12 am

— Their presence at the magazine racks is the surest signal college football season is near. Pass by any rack around Norman and the word “Preview” is everywhere.
The Transcript picked several of those publications to take a look at to see what the summer prognosticators forecast for Oklahoma this season.
The five perused where Athlon, Lindy’s, Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly and USA Today Sports Weekly. The fivesome differ in what they try to accomplish.
Athlon and Lindy’s have been in the forecast business for many years and are strictly preview magazines. Their efforts end once the season begins.
Sporting News and Pro Football Weekly are both magazines that will continue college football coverage throughout the season. USA Today Sports Weekly represents the nation’s largest newspaper.
However, USA Today Sports Weekly offered the least information. No preseason Top 25, no All-American teams. There were bowl projections, but in Oklahoma’s case, the prognosis was strange.
The Sooners were picked to win the Big 12 South, but fail to reach a BCS bowl game. Missouri was the publication’s pick to win the Big 12.
What was really odd? It predicted Texas to finish third behind OU and Texas Tech in the South, yet get an at-large bid to the Sugar Bowl.
The other four all believe the Sooners should have high hopes for the coming season. Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly and Lindy’s all have OU ranked No. 4 heading into the season. Athlon has the Sooners at No. 3.
“No Allen Patrick? No Malcolm Kelly? No problem,” was Athlon’s assessment.
It predicts if a defense that will have five new starters in the back seven matures, the Sooners could be playing for its eighth national championship in 2008.
The Sporting News came with another odd description.
“The Big 12’s most dominant program this decade must prove it can thrive outside the conference in big games,” Sporting News said.
It predicted OU would win the Big 12 for the third straight year and reach the Fiesta Bowl.
“Nobody is better than (OU coach Bob) Stoops at driving home that conference titles are a program’s primary objective,” it read.
Lindy’s said much the same.
“Stoops is closing in on his second national championship. If the SEC powers beat up on one another, don’t be surprised if Oklahoma makes it all the way to Dolphin Stadium (site of the BCS title game),” was the magazine’s rationale for ranking OU No. 4.
It also picked the Sooners to win the Big 12 Conference.
Pro Football Weekly has the Sooners No. 4, but failed to say why. For one, it likes Missouri to win the Big 12. It also likes Texas Tech to represent the South in the conference title game.
“On experience, skill, NFL talent, depth, and any other way you want to measure, no one on the schedule — including Kansas, Texas and Texas Tech — can stay with the Sooners,” Pro Football Weekly said. “But everyone gets up for OU and brings its ‘A’ game, and now, OU needs to realize that it has to find a way to get up for everyone and bring its ‘A’ game, too.”
But if that’s the prediction, then why have Missouri ranked No. 8 and Texas Tech ranked No. 9 in the preseason? Seems like if you believe both are going to beat the Sooners, you should have them ranked higher.
Of course, Pro Football Weekly did rank all 119 Bowl Subdivision teams from top to bottom. For those interested, Baylor, No. 95, is the worst Bowl Subdivision team on the Sooners’ schedule.
OU opens the season against Tennessee-Chattanooga Aug. 30, but it is a Championship Subdivision member.
So, it’s obvious the high expectations that surround OU football will be there again this season. But some believe this will be a year where those expectations won’t be met.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com