I don’t think the defense is going to be all that new. Sounds like same D with some wrinkles.
As far as who we lose to, not sure. It’s just hard to run the table, so we probably stumble somehwere and the road schedule is tough. I think we could run the table, and I also think we can lose 3 games. Just depends on how those 5 or 6 season-defining plays go. What I think helps most of those plays go our way is consistency. Stable coaching with Gundy, Dunn, and many of the same assistants, defense supposedly staying with last year’s schemes. Stable at QB, bringing back lots of weapons. Stable at D-line should help anchor the defense. Secondary was the unsung hero last year and that worries me. Think we can offset that damage by going uptempo on offense.
Most likely loss:
- OU, even though we were head and shoulders better than OU last year, it was still an ugly, emotional game. Always is.
- K-State, dark horse.
- Baylor, tough team, hard-nosed. Look to be our biggest threat in new look Big 12.
Rematch conference game with Baylor. OU is too patchwork this year. New coach, new offense, new defense, new QB, lost a lot to the portal. Even if Venables ends up being a homerun hire, that’s a lot to overcome in a season. The whole league is going to be down, though. So many new coaches and QBs, it’s why I can’t drop OU lower than 4th. They’re a better program than the other programs going through similar turmoil. Darkhorse: K-State.