Oklahoma football 2019 season preview: Best and worst-case scenario

Oklahoma football hopes win their third straight Heisman, but most important, is whether Jalen Hurts can lead the Sooners to a third straight College Football Playoff.

Since arriving in Norman, head coach Lincoln Riley has been able to capture lightning in a bottle. He and Baker Mayfield found their way to a Heisman Trophy win and College Football Playoff berth, then Riley and Kyler Murray replicated that effort. Though they failed to get out of the semifinal in either run, it’s clear that the head coach has something tasty cooking with the Sooners.

With Murray now leaving the starting quarterback job vacant, Riley is again looking to find magic with Alabama graduate transfer Jalen Hurts. Hurts lost the starting job in Tuscaloosa to Tua Tagovailoa, though he did fill in for the SEC Championship Game and play hero for the Crimson Tide. Now he joins a talented group that includes CeeDee Lamb and Trey Sermon in hopes of leading a group that won’t lose any of their prowess on offense.

There are fewer answers on the offensive line and on defense, though. The Sooners lost four of the five starters from last season, which will be something they must address if Hurts and Sermon are to be effective. Center Creed Humphrey might be the best at his position, however. As for the defense, Kenneth Murray has star potential at linebacker but they must address a pass defense unit that was the worst in college football last season if they want to compete for a title.

Given these changes, what does the 2019 season hold for Oklahoma? Let’s dive into the best and worst-case scenarios for the Sooners this year.

Oklahoma best-case scenario

• Sept. 1 – vs. Houston – W
• Sept. 7 – vs. South Dakota – W
• Sept. 14 – at UCLA – W
• Sept. 28 – vs. Texas Tech – W
• Oct. 5 – at Kansas – W
• Oct. 12 – vs. Texas – W
• Oct. 19 – vs. West Virginia – W
• Oct. 26 – at Kansas State – W
• Nov. 9 – vs. Iowa State – W
• Nov. 16 – at Baylor – W
• Nov. 23 – vs. TCU – W
• Nov. 30 – at Oklahoma State – W

If the dominos fall right for Oklahoma in the 2019 season, they have the potential to go undefeated in the regular season with the opportunity to play in a third straight College Football Playoff.

There’s no mistaking the fact that the Sooners offense will look much different in the 2019 campaign than it has in recent seasons. Put simply, Hurts is not as talented of a natural passer as both Mayfield and Murray are. Thus, Riley will certainly rely on his legs more, though that doesn’t mean they still won’t be highly effective when they have the ball, able to put up points against any of the teams that they face this season.

As mentioned, though, the key for the Sooners this season is the defense even taking a marginal step forward from where they were last season. If Alex Grinch, formerly of Ohio State, is able to come in and offer a semi-immediate fix to this group, then OU should be able to head into the Big 12 Championship Game at 12-0.

Oklahoma football worst-case scenario

• Sept. 1 – vs. Houston – L
• Sept. 7 – vs. South Dakota – W
• Sept. 14 – at UCLA – W
• Sept. 28 – vs. Texas Tech – W
• Oct. 5 – at Kansas – W
• Oct. 12 – vs. Texas – L
• Oct. 19 – vs. West Virginia – W
• Oct. 26 – at Kansas State – W
• Nov. 9 – vs. Iowa State – W
• Nov. 16 – at Baylor – W
• Nov. 23 – vs. TCU – W
• Nov. 30 – at Oklahoma State – W

After the season-opener, the only real game of concern for Oklahoma should be the Red River Rivalry matchup against the Texas Longhorns. While the Big 12 isn’t out of horses, the Longhorns are the only team in the conference that has the talent, speed and coaching combination to match up with Riley and the Sooners.

What may stand out to people in this worst-case scenario is the opening loss to Houston. This has everything to do with the defense. If Grinch isn’t able to help solidify the Sooners defense right out of the gate, the Cougars have a stud quarterback in D’Eriq King and a high-octane offense capable of putting points on anyone, especially the worst pass defense in college football.

Subsequently, any defensive shortcomings could put Oklahoma in a shootout. And, in a worst-case scenario, that would mean coming out on the wrong end of that. That’s how critical fixing the defense is for the Sooners and, not just doing so, but doing it quickly and effectively.