Baker Mayfield is already in midseason form for the Oklahoma Sooners.
When you’re Oklahoma, you don’t need a championship game to get to the College Football playoff. Their success last season was due in large part to a potent offensive combination with Baker Mayfield and Samaje Perine. And both of them look to be clicking already in Week 1.
Oklahoma vs. Houston was one of the most anticipated Week 1 games, as both teams are looking to improve on exceptional campaigns. It may officially be played in a neutral location, but NRG Stadium clearly favored the Cougars. However, if Mayfield wants to prove that he’ll thrive in the NFL, the best way to do that is perform well in the Texans’ building.
This 61-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews is proof that he can improve on his success from last year:
Five of the last six Heisman winners have been quarterbacks, but Derrick Henry’s win last year indicates that we’re in the age of the running back. Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette are two popular picks for the Heisman this year, and in Perine, the Sooners have a lethal run game of their own. But if Mayfield wants to buck the trend, and put a QB back in the Heisman conversation, look for him to make plays like this more often.
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As long as Oklahoma continues to play this well, they should win the Big 12 again. While they do face a daunting task in Ohio State in Week 3, they’ll at least have home field advantage. And while Ohio State has had to replace most of their starters, Oklahoma still has the pieces from last year that got them to 11-2. And if they get back to the playoff this year, then we may never see a Big 12 championship game.