3 reasons Oklahoma won’t win the national championship this year

1. The defense needed to win the Big 12 cannot win a national championship

This is going to be a major issue with Oklahoma for now, and for the foreseeable future. For the Sooners to win the Big 12 regularly, they have to use a fast and undersized defense to contain many of the spread attacks they see in conference play. While this defense can beat the likes of Baylor, Iowa State and Texas, it cannot handle the battering ram of an Alabama or a Clemson.

So for the Sooners to win their first national title of the playoff era, Rattler will have to be a Heisman-level performer and carry this undersized defense to new heights. Oklahoma will have to win back-to-back shootouts in the national semifinals and the title bout, but that is not a parlay you should bank on. Teams on-par with Alabama and Clemson can put up points offensively, too.

To be in the best position to win a national title, Oklahoma must go 13-0 to get the No. 1 seed. Doing so gives them a manageable No. 4 seed to take on in the semifinals. From there, they have to hope a defensive-minded team emerges out of the other national semifinal game.

Ultimately, Oklahoma would only have itself to blame for not winning a national title this year. The Sooners have built a defense that can only win one way. While the Big 12 slate could give them the resume boost they need, past playoff failures should not sit well with the Selection Committee if the 2021 Sooners are up for debate for postseason inclusion. They have to be nearly flawless.

Oklahoma can win a national title this year, but the Sooners have next to no margin for error here.

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