Countdown to Kickoff Day 36: #15 Oklahoma Sooners

This team scares me. They are more unpredictable than a Christopher Nolan plot twist, and I believe I’m being nice about that.

Brent Venables spent nine seasons as Clemson’s defensive coordinator and over those nine seasons he earned a contract that made him the second highest paid assistant coach in college football because of the job he did and consistently running a top 10 defense.

Everyone in Norman was excited for Venables to maintain the offensive success while molding the Sooner defense into a mirror image of what he did at Clemson. “Not so fast, my friend!” as Lee Corso would say. The 2022 Sooners’ Defense (Venables Version) let up over 30 points per contest, over 460 yards per game, and were ranked #120 in penalties per game. Undisciplined and unreliable. They gave up over 40 points five times, and over 50 points twice.

Now, you never expect much in the Big 12 with defense, but the Sooner faithful learned that it takes more than a year to build something great with a unit that has struggled over the years. Oklahoma will return a handful of starters from last year, but is that a good thing?

I'm putting my eggs into the “Year 2” basket and betting that Venabales' defensive mind can turn this horrible defense into at least a capable one.

The offense will average over 30 points a game like they did last year, and will return star player Dillon Gabriel, Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk will provide a one-two punch in the backfield, they have depth at the receiver position, and their offensive line will be the strength of this team.

Prediction: 9-3. BUT If this defense doesn't step up, we could see another 6-6 year for OU.

How Many Games Will Oklahoma Win In 2023?

• 9 or more
• 8 or less