The best Oklahoma Sooners team of the past 25 years is...
- Jason Kersey of the Athletic
What is the best Oklahoma team of the Bob Stoops/Lincoln Riley era? Who would win if Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Sam Bradford quarterbacked opposing Sooners teams?
There’s no real way to know how such matchups would play out — schemes change, players are more developed as time goes on, etc., etc. But in this COVID-19 world, why not have a little fun?
I picked out and seeded the eight best teams of the Stoops/Riley era, then created a single-elimination bracket and simulated the games using WhatIfSports.com. I know there probably will be some disagreement among a few of the teams I chose and perhaps the seeding. For example, I didn’t include the 2019 team that reached the College Football Playoff, instead making the No. 8 seed the 2002 team, which went 12-2 and beat Washington State in the Rose Bowl but did have an inexplicable and convincing loss to Oklahoma State. I think the 2002 team was better overall.
The 2000 team — the most recent OU national champion — gets the No. 1 seed, even though the case certainly can be made that it isn’t the most talented team in this field. Here is the bracket.
Now, onto the games.
WhatIfSports.com provides box scores and full play-by-plays, which makes this really fun. I’ll quickly summarize each game, but will include a link to each game’s statistics if you want to take a close look.
(A quick side note: I would’ve loved to simulate some old Barry Switzer teams facing off against Lincoln Riley teams, but WhatIfSports only goes back to 1996.)
FIRST ROUND
(1) 2000 31, (8) 2002 16
The only national championship team in the field moves on to the semifinals with a thorough 31-16 victory over the 2002 Sooners. Josh Heupel threw for 305 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in the victory.
The game MVP, though, is 2002 Quentin Griffin — one of a handful of players who played for both teams in this matchup. The ’02 Griffin rushed for 180 yards, and his 72-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter cut the ’00 Sooners’ lead to 11 points. But the 2000 Sooners retook a three-score lead early in the fourth, when Heupel hit Antwone Savage for a 15-yard touchdown that made it 31-13.
The ’02 Sooners had a chance in the first quarter when Brandon Everage intercepted Heupel in good field position, but on the next snap, 2002 Savage fumbled, giving the 2000 team the ball back. The 2000 Sooners tacked on a field goal a few plays later to make it 10-0.
Another 2002 fumble — this one by quarterback Nate Hybl early in the second quarter — led immediately to a 2000 touchdown.
(2) 2008 55, (7) 2015 28
Sam Bradford vs. Baker Mayfield.
This isn’t a matchup of the guys during their Heisman seasons. Bradford won the 2008 Heisman, but Mayfield still was two years away from taking home the trophy. The 2015 team was the first with Riley on staff and the first with Mayfield eligible to play.
The ’15 Oklahoma defense actually wasn’t bad, but the 2008 Oklahoma offense was an all-time offense, and that is reflected here. Bradford was 32-of-46 for 521 yards and five touchdowns.
The 2015 Sooners took an early 14-3 lead after a Mayfield-to-Dede Westbrook touchdown pass and a 38-yard Samaje Perine touchdown run. The 2008 Sooners led 24-21 at halftime, then scored 31 points in the second half to win convincingly.
Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray each caught two touchdown passes for the ’08 Sooners.
(4) 2017 38, (5) 2004 35
This time, Mayfield outdueled a fellow OU Heisman winner. Mayfield threw for 258 yards and four touchdowns, while Jason White threw for 354 and two scores.
Adrian Peterson — this is the AD of 2004, his epic freshman season — rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns. The 2017 Sooners led 28-14 at halftime, but Peterson accounted for two of the 2004 Sooners’ three third-quarter touchdowns for a 35-28 lead entering the fourth.
The 2017 Sooners, though, did all the fourth-quarter scoring. First, Austin Seibert hit a 40-yard field goal, then Mayfield found Abdul Adams for a 6-yard touchdown with 7:07 left that gave the 2017 Sooners the lead and, ultimately, the victory.
For the 2017 Sooners, Rodney Anderson rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown.
(3) 2003 47, (6) 2018 41
Fear not, Jason White fans. He will be in the semifinal round because of the 2003 team’s 47-41 shootout victory over Kyler Murray and the 2018 Sooners.
This is a decidedly 2018-type of score. The 2018 Oklahoma defense was historically awful, but the offense was historically prolific. It’s not surprising that the 2018 team’s downfall would be its inability to stop the other offense.
Teddy Lehman, Derrick Strait, et al., might take issue with the idea that they’d allow 41 points to Murray and the 2018 Sooners. Remember, the 2003 Sooners’ roster was filled with unbelievable talent from top to bottom. This is the team that entered the Big 12 Championship Game considered perhaps one of the greatest teams in college football history, but lost both that game and the national championship game.
In this simulation, White threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns. Mark Clayton had 96 receiving yards, and Brandon Jones caught two touchdowns.
Murray had a heck of a game, though, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown while also throwing for 300 yards and two more scores. CeeDee Lamb caught four passes for 118 yards and a 73-yard touchdown.
The 2018 Sooners took a 41-37 lead on a 55-yard Murray touchdown run with 8:54 left in the fourth, but the 2003 Sooners responded with a touchdown drive, then a field goal drive to earn the victory.
SEMIFINALS
(4) 2017 38, (1) 2000 28
If I’m being honest, this outcome kind of disappointed me. Not because the 2017 team wasn’t great or deserving, but because the 2000 team is one of those teams that I still look back on with a lot of nostalgia. That 2000 team didn’t have the best talent — although it still had a lot of good players — but was so gritty and was able to find ways to win when it probably shouldn’t have. And, full disclosure, I was kinda, sorta hoping it would play out that way in this simulation. But, alas, sports simulators don’t take those metaphysical things into account. Maybe if I’d simulated this game 10 times, the 2000 team would’ve won two or three of them. But for this project, I simulated everything once and accepted the results as they stood.
So here we are.
The 2017 Sooners took a 14-7 lead into halftime after Mayfield hit CeeDee Lamb for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:38 left in the first half. Then right after halftime, Rodney Anderson’s 13-yard touchdown run gave the 2017 Sooners a 21-7 lead.
Damian Mackey caught three touchdown passes from Heupel to help keep the 2000 Sooners in the game. The last of Mackey’s touchdowns came with 11:40 left and cut the 2017 ream’s lead to 35-28. But the national champs couldn’t get over the hump.
Mayfield was 25-of-33 for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Mykel Jones has been the leading receiver for the 2017 Sooners in both games, which is interesting.
Heupel finished with 314 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
(3) 2003 34, (2) 2008 30
I was really interested in seeing how this one would play out. The 2003 team, as mentioned above, is considered one of the great “what-ifs” of the Stoops/Riley era. But so is the 2008 team because DeMarco Murray was unable to play in the national championship game, which OU lost 24-14 to Tim Tebow and Florida.
This is Heisman vs. Heisman. White won his Heisman in 2003 and Bradford his in 2008. And this simulated game was tied at 17 at halftime.
The 2008 Sooners scored 27 points between the second and third quarters, with Murray rushing for two touchdowns. White finished with 260 passing yards and three total touchdowns, while Bradford threw for 341 yards and one touchdown. Jermaine Gresham recorded 83 receiving yards and a score for the 2008 Sooners.
Renaldo Works rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown for the 2003 Sooners.
Considering how great these offenses were, it’s funny that the game was decided in the fourth quarter because of field goals. Jimmy Stevens hit a 20-yarder with 5:02 left to help the 2008 Sooners cut the lead to a point, but Trey DiCarlo’s 35-yarder with 1:33 left gave the 2003 Sooners all they needed to win.
FINAL
(3) 2003 42, (4) 2017 30
The 2003 Sooners get a championship after all — although I’m certain every one of the guys on that team would much rather go back and get a Big 12 or national title.
Once considered to be among the greatest teams in college football history, the 2003 Oklahoma team inexplicably fell flat at the end of the season, losing the Big 12 Championship Game to Kansas State, then the national championship game to LSU. The 2017 team is a great “what if?” team, too, because if that squad had been able to hold onto its Rose Bowl lead, there’s a good chance it would have beaten Alabama for that season’s national title.
The beginning of this simulation was quite boring. Three Austin Seibert field goals put the 2017 Sooners up 9-0 after the first quarter. The second quarter was dominated by the 2003 team, with Kejuan Jones scoring two touchdowns on the ground and White hitting Mark Clayton for the third score of the quarter.
Fourth-quarter Mayfield touchdown passes to Jeff Badet and Marquise Brown cut the lead to five points with 5:39 left, but Renaldo Works’ 2-yard touchdown with a minute left sealed the deal for the 2003 squad.
The 2017 Sooners picked off White four times, but Jones and Works each rushed for two scores. Clayton caught both of White’s touchdown passes.
For the 2017 team, Anderson rushed for 167 yards. Mayfield threw for 223 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
- Jason Kersey of the Athletic
What is the best Oklahoma team of the Bob Stoops/Lincoln Riley era? Who would win if Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Sam Bradford quarterbacked opposing Sooners teams?
There’s no real way to know how such matchups would play out — schemes change, players are more developed as time goes on, etc., etc. But in this COVID-19 world, why not have a little fun?
I picked out and seeded the eight best teams of the Stoops/Riley era, then created a single-elimination bracket and simulated the games using WhatIfSports.com. I know there probably will be some disagreement among a few of the teams I chose and perhaps the seeding. For example, I didn’t include the 2019 team that reached the College Football Playoff, instead making the No. 8 seed the 2002 team, which went 12-2 and beat Washington State in the Rose Bowl but did have an inexplicable and convincing loss to Oklahoma State. I think the 2002 team was better overall.
The 2000 team — the most recent OU national champion — gets the No. 1 seed, even though the case certainly can be made that it isn’t the most talented team in this field. Here is the bracket.
Now, onto the games.
WhatIfSports.com provides box scores and full play-by-plays, which makes this really fun. I’ll quickly summarize each game, but will include a link to each game’s statistics if you want to take a close look.
(A quick side note: I would’ve loved to simulate some old Barry Switzer teams facing off against Lincoln Riley teams, but WhatIfSports only goes back to 1996.)
FIRST ROUND
(1) 2000 31, (8) 2002 16
The only national championship team in the field moves on to the semifinals with a thorough 31-16 victory over the 2002 Sooners. Josh Heupel threw for 305 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in the victory.
The game MVP, though, is 2002 Quentin Griffin — one of a handful of players who played for both teams in this matchup. The ’02 Griffin rushed for 180 yards, and his 72-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter cut the ’00 Sooners’ lead to 11 points. But the 2000 Sooners retook a three-score lead early in the fourth, when Heupel hit Antwone Savage for a 15-yard touchdown that made it 31-13.
The ’02 Sooners had a chance in the first quarter when Brandon Everage intercepted Heupel in good field position, but on the next snap, 2002 Savage fumbled, giving the 2000 team the ball back. The 2000 Sooners tacked on a field goal a few plays later to make it 10-0.
Another 2002 fumble — this one by quarterback Nate Hybl early in the second quarter — led immediately to a 2000 touchdown.
(2) 2008 55, (7) 2015 28
Sam Bradford vs. Baker Mayfield.
This isn’t a matchup of the guys during their Heisman seasons. Bradford won the 2008 Heisman, but Mayfield still was two years away from taking home the trophy. The 2015 team was the first with Riley on staff and the first with Mayfield eligible to play.
The ’15 Oklahoma defense actually wasn’t bad, but the 2008 Oklahoma offense was an all-time offense, and that is reflected here. Bradford was 32-of-46 for 521 yards and five touchdowns.
The 2015 Sooners took an early 14-3 lead after a Mayfield-to-Dede Westbrook touchdown pass and a 38-yard Samaje Perine touchdown run. The 2008 Sooners led 24-21 at halftime, then scored 31 points in the second half to win convincingly.
Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray each caught two touchdown passes for the ’08 Sooners.
(4) 2017 38, (5) 2004 35
This time, Mayfield outdueled a fellow OU Heisman winner. Mayfield threw for 258 yards and four touchdowns, while Jason White threw for 354 and two scores.
Adrian Peterson — this is the AD of 2004, his epic freshman season — rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns. The 2017 Sooners led 28-14 at halftime, but Peterson accounted for two of the 2004 Sooners’ three third-quarter touchdowns for a 35-28 lead entering the fourth.
The 2017 Sooners, though, did all the fourth-quarter scoring. First, Austin Seibert hit a 40-yard field goal, then Mayfield found Abdul Adams for a 6-yard touchdown with 7:07 left that gave the 2017 Sooners the lead and, ultimately, the victory.
For the 2017 Sooners, Rodney Anderson rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown.
(3) 2003 47, (6) 2018 41
Fear not, Jason White fans. He will be in the semifinal round because of the 2003 team’s 47-41 shootout victory over Kyler Murray and the 2018 Sooners.
This is a decidedly 2018-type of score. The 2018 Oklahoma defense was historically awful, but the offense was historically prolific. It’s not surprising that the 2018 team’s downfall would be its inability to stop the other offense.
Teddy Lehman, Derrick Strait, et al., might take issue with the idea that they’d allow 41 points to Murray and the 2018 Sooners. Remember, the 2003 Sooners’ roster was filled with unbelievable talent from top to bottom. This is the team that entered the Big 12 Championship Game considered perhaps one of the greatest teams in college football history, but lost both that game and the national championship game.
In this simulation, White threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns. Mark Clayton had 96 receiving yards, and Brandon Jones caught two touchdowns.
Murray had a heck of a game, though, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown while also throwing for 300 yards and two more scores. CeeDee Lamb caught four passes for 118 yards and a 73-yard touchdown.
The 2018 Sooners took a 41-37 lead on a 55-yard Murray touchdown run with 8:54 left in the fourth, but the 2003 Sooners responded with a touchdown drive, then a field goal drive to earn the victory.
SEMIFINALS
(4) 2017 38, (1) 2000 28
If I’m being honest, this outcome kind of disappointed me. Not because the 2017 team wasn’t great or deserving, but because the 2000 team is one of those teams that I still look back on with a lot of nostalgia. That 2000 team didn’t have the best talent — although it still had a lot of good players — but was so gritty and was able to find ways to win when it probably shouldn’t have. And, full disclosure, I was kinda, sorta hoping it would play out that way in this simulation. But, alas, sports simulators don’t take those metaphysical things into account. Maybe if I’d simulated this game 10 times, the 2000 team would’ve won two or three of them. But for this project, I simulated everything once and accepted the results as they stood.
So here we are.
The 2017 Sooners took a 14-7 lead into halftime after Mayfield hit CeeDee Lamb for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:38 left in the first half. Then right after halftime, Rodney Anderson’s 13-yard touchdown run gave the 2017 Sooners a 21-7 lead.
Damian Mackey caught three touchdown passes from Heupel to help keep the 2000 Sooners in the game. The last of Mackey’s touchdowns came with 11:40 left and cut the 2017 ream’s lead to 35-28. But the national champs couldn’t get over the hump.
Mayfield was 25-of-33 for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Mykel Jones has been the leading receiver for the 2017 Sooners in both games, which is interesting.
Heupel finished with 314 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
(3) 2003 34, (2) 2008 30
I was really interested in seeing how this one would play out. The 2003 team, as mentioned above, is considered one of the great “what-ifs” of the Stoops/Riley era. But so is the 2008 team because DeMarco Murray was unable to play in the national championship game, which OU lost 24-14 to Tim Tebow and Florida.
This is Heisman vs. Heisman. White won his Heisman in 2003 and Bradford his in 2008. And this simulated game was tied at 17 at halftime.
The 2008 Sooners scored 27 points between the second and third quarters, with Murray rushing for two touchdowns. White finished with 260 passing yards and three total touchdowns, while Bradford threw for 341 yards and one touchdown. Jermaine Gresham recorded 83 receiving yards and a score for the 2008 Sooners.
Renaldo Works rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown for the 2003 Sooners.
Considering how great these offenses were, it’s funny that the game was decided in the fourth quarter because of field goals. Jimmy Stevens hit a 20-yarder with 5:02 left to help the 2008 Sooners cut the lead to a point, but Trey DiCarlo’s 35-yarder with 1:33 left gave the 2003 Sooners all they needed to win.
FINAL
(3) 2003 42, (4) 2017 30
The 2003 Sooners get a championship after all — although I’m certain every one of the guys on that team would much rather go back and get a Big 12 or national title.
Once considered to be among the greatest teams in college football history, the 2003 Oklahoma team inexplicably fell flat at the end of the season, losing the Big 12 Championship Game to Kansas State, then the national championship game to LSU. The 2017 team is a great “what if?” team, too, because if that squad had been able to hold onto its Rose Bowl lead, there’s a good chance it would have beaten Alabama for that season’s national title.
The beginning of this simulation was quite boring. Three Austin Seibert field goals put the 2017 Sooners up 9-0 after the first quarter. The second quarter was dominated by the 2003 team, with Kejuan Jones scoring two touchdowns on the ground and White hitting Mark Clayton for the third score of the quarter.
Fourth-quarter Mayfield touchdown passes to Jeff Badet and Marquise Brown cut the lead to five points with 5:39 left, but Renaldo Works’ 2-yard touchdown with a minute left sealed the deal for the 2003 squad.
The 2017 Sooners picked off White four times, but Jones and Works each rushed for two scores. Clayton caught both of White’s touchdown passes.
For the 2017 team, Anderson rushed for 167 yards. Mayfield threw for 223 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
