Oklahoma football: 3 biggest offseason questions facing Sooners in 2021
By John Buhler
The Oklahoma football program is strong, but we still have questions for them this offseason.
The Big 12 has belonged to Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma football team ever since he arrived in Norman as Bob Stoops’ offensive coordinator back in 2015.
The Oklahoma Sooners have won the Big 12 an impressive six years in a row, including the last four with Riley as the team’s head coach. However, none of these conference championships have resulted in a single College Football Playoff victory. Oklahoma recruits at a very high level, but there does seem to be a talent gap between them, Clemson, Ohio State and the SEC elites.
2021 has the chance to be the Sooners’ best season in the College Football Playoff era. They have an emerging superstar at quarterback in redshirt sophomore Spencer Rattler, an improving defense and a ton of momentum to carry from 2020 into this upcoming campaign. Before Oklahoma can be national champions, the Sooners must answer these prevailing questions.
3 biggest offseason questions for the Oklahoma Sooners
3. Has Iowa State closed the gap on Oklahoma in the Big 12 hierarchy?
Oklahoma has been challenged the last two years in the Big 12 Championship game by the Baylor Bears and the Iowa State Cyclones. While Dave Aranda could have Baylor on the rise in his second year in Waco, Iowa State has emerged as Oklahoma’s biggest threat in the conference under Matt Campbell. For as long as he stays in Ames, Campbell will have his team ready to play in big games.
Yes, there are other teams besides Iowa State, and I guess Baylor, who could push Oklahoma next year, most notably the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Texas Longhorns and the West Virginia Mountaineers. However, the Sooners and the Cyclones are the two best teams in the Big 12 and it would be shocking to not see them meet once again in the conference championship game.
Iowa State may have won the regular-season game up in Ames, but Oklahoma held on to beat the Cyclones in Arlington to win the Big 12. Both programs have serious College Football Playoff aspirations, but only one will win the Big 12. Iowa State returns its best offensive players in quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall, but has it closed the gap on Oklahoma?
Because Iowa State does not historically recruit on the same level as Oklahoma, that gap still exits and therefore, it still matters. However, this is an Iowa State program brimming with confidence after a Fiesta Bowl victory over the Oregon Ducks. While Oklahoma should be the favorite to win the Big 12 for the seventh year in a row, the Cyclones will be their most formidable challenger.