Since this is an ESPN Insider article, I copied it below. It is from: http://espn.go.com/college-football/insider/story/_/id/15040141/oklahoma-sooners-loaded-win-2016-college-football-playoff
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Why Oklahoma is one of only 11 teams that can win the 2016 CFP
There are 128 teams who play at the highest level of college football, and they all start the season undefeated.
But the harsh reality is only 11 have a legitimate chance to win the 2016 College Football Playoff. In the ninth installment of an 11-part series, let's take a look at another of the few teams that could actually win the CFP: theOklahoma Sooners.
Last year, Bob Stoops' club posted its 13th 10-win season since 2000 (most in the FBS), a showing that could serve as a springboard to a national championship given the collection of talent returning from that squad. And remember, OU got to the CFP and brings back a good chunk of its key contributors.
Here are eight reasons how -- and why -- the Sooners could pick up those final two wins of the season in 2016.
Mayfield is Heisman-worthy
The most skilled person on OU's roster has to be Baker Mayfield. Last year he placed eighth among Power 5 quarterbacks in Total QBR (81.7), third in vertical pass Total QBR (95.5 on aerials thrown 11 or more yards downfield) and sixth on short pass Total QBR (80.9 on attempts traveling 10 or fewer yards downfield). This wasn't just a matter of consistent performances, as Mayfield showed record-setting capacity when he established Oklahoma single-game marks for total offense (572 yards versus Tulsa) and touchdown passes in a half (five, against Kansas State) and tied the single-game team record for touchdowns accounted for (six, also against Tulsa).
Big 12's best running backs
After only two seasons,Samaje Perinealready ranks in the top 10 in Oklahoma program history in rushing touchdowns (37, ninth) and rushing yards (3,062, ranked 10th). That is an incredible achievement given the Sooners' storied running back history that includes all-time greats such as Adrian Peterson, DeMarco Murray, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Greg Pruitt, Billy Vessels and Joe Washington.
Add inJoe Mixon, who ranked seventh among Power 5 backs with 100 or more carries last season in rushing yards per carry (6.7) andAlex Ross(18 rushes of 10 or more yards on only 123 career rushing attempts) and the Sooners may have the best set of running backs in the Big 12.
2015 offensive line? Not so good. 2016 O-line? Should be much better
The Sooners opened the 2015 campaign with freshmen at both offensive tackle positions (Orlando BrownandDru Samia). According to the Oklahoma sports information department, that is the first time that had ever happened in a Sooners season-opening game.
Add in freshmanJonathan Alvarezand the Oklahoma front wall got out of the gate with three first-year starters. That inexperience caused some run-blocking problems early on, but things got a lot better after this group jelled. From Week 8 to the end of the season, Oklahoma ranked first among Power 5 clubs in yards per rush (6.0), tied for first in rushing touchdowns per game (3.3), second in rushes of 10 or more yards (68), second in rushing yards per game (276.3) and tied for second in first downs per rush (31.1 percent).
Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley's offensive lines have seen improvement in his second year in previous stops and that should be the case again this year because the aforementioned freshmen blocking trio will be joined by two ESPN Junior College 50 offensive linemen (Ben Powers and Ashton Julious) as well asJamal Danley, the No. 1 rated ESPN JC guard in 2015 and two recent four-star recruits, Bobby Evans and Alex Dalton.
Sterling who?
It's difficult to replace a player of Sterling Shepard's caliber, but the Sooners have more than a few candidates to take up the performance slack. The prime candidate here isDede Westbrook, the Big 12's newcomer of the year in 2015. Westbrook had 18 stretch vertical targets last year (aerials thrown 20 or more yards downfield), a total that was equal to Shepard's, and he had three stretch vertical touchdowns (only one shy of Shepard's four stretch vertical touchdowns), so he brings the type of tear-the-top-off-the-defense skill set that opponents will have to respect.
Another playmaking option isGeno Lewis, a fifth-year transfer from Penn State. Lewis had a down season last year, but in 2014 he ranked tied for sixth in the Big Ten in stretch vertical receptions (seven), ninth in stretch vertical yards (274) and tied for ninth in vertical receptions (16). He should be able to serve as a very effective downfield counterpunch to Westbrook.
A somewhat under-the-radar target could be tight endMark Andrews. Last year, Andrews set an Oklahoma record for most touchdown receptions by a freshman (seven) despite playing in only 107 of 439 pass attempts. Put him on the field on a full-time basis and Andrews could vie for a double-digit touchdown total.
Best secondary in the country?
Even with the loss of Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma is absolutely stacked in terms of defensive secondary talent. They bring back arguably their best cornerback inJordan Thomas, who made the 2015 ESPN.com All-Big 12 team in part by racking up five interceptions (tied for third in the Big 12) and gaining 153 interception return yards (sixth most in a single season in Oklahoma history).
The Sooners' deep secondary coverage will be in great shape because they return two All-Big 12 second team safeties inAhmad ThomasandSteven Parker. This duo ranked first and third on the team, respectively, in defensive snaps last season (947 for Thomas, 931 for Parker, according to Stats LLC). They also placed tied for 21st (Thomas, 7.1) and 28th (Parker, 7.6) in yards per attempt allowed among Power 5 safeties with 30 or more targets last season.
Depth is another strong suit for this club, especially at cornerback where the Sooners haveDakota Austin(5.5 YPA last year, best among Sooners cornerbacks with 30 or more targets),P.J. Mbanasor(the Sooners top-rated recruit in the 2015 class) and several other highly rated players.
The defensive front seven has some scary talent
Oklahoma's personnel losses in the defensive front seven are one of the biggest hurdles to this team's national-title hopes, but there are many candidates in line to take over as impact players in this group.
At the top of this list:Charles Walker, who racked up six sacks, 10 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and 36 tackles last season. Those are impressive numbers on their own, yet Walker tallied them on only 392 defensive snaps, or only 39.6 percent of the team's 989 total defensive snaps last season. Move Walker to a full-time snap basis and his production could skyrocket.
The same can be said for many other Oklahoma defensive linemen.Matt Dimonhad seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 34 tackles on only 460 snaps.Marquise Overtontallied two sacks, two tackles for loss and six tackles on a mere 80 snaps. Add linebacker Caleb Kelly, Oklahoma's top-rated prospect in the 2016 recruiting class to a slew of additional four-star defensive front seven recruits over the past two years and the Sooners should be able to get quality production out of this group.
Special teams should be very strong (again)
Stoops has a long history of getting upper-tier performance out of his special teams. This was the case in many ways last year, as kicker/punterAustin Seibertwon second-team All-Big 12 honors by ranking fifth among Power 5 kickers in field goal percentage on kicks of 40 or more yards (83.3 percent, minimum 10 total field goal attempts).
Throw in the team leading the nation in punt return average allowed and it would seem hard to improve upon this platoon, but there actually are reasons to think Oklahoma could see significant improvement here. The Sooners posted a minus-4.5 total in ESPN Stats & Information's special teams expected points added (STEPA) metric that measures the scoreboard impact of special teams plays via anexpected points framework. That is the second-lowest STEPA posted by a Stoops Oklahoma club since the metric started being tracked in 2005 and is much lower than typical 10-20 point STEPA range tallied by his teams.
With some improvement in long kickoff returns, an area where the team gave up three returns of 30 or more yards (tied for last in the Big 12), this platoon should move back to its normal level.
Yeah, those road games aren't very hard
The Sooners do have a tough overall schedule, including an early-season home contest against Ohio State and a trip to Houston to play the Cougars (though that one is at NRG Stadium, not Houston's TDECU Stadium). But the Buckeyes had to replace a total of 16 offensive and defensive starters and thus will likely still be facing some growing pains at that point of the season. The away schedule is also highly favorable, as outside of TCU, Oklahoma has three only true road matchups, with those contests being against teams that finished 12-17 in the Big 12 last year (West Virginia, Texas Tech and Iowa State).
The bottom line
The Sooners ranked third in ESPN Stats & Information's preseason Football Power Index that is designed to measure team strength going forward. Oklahoma is one of only two teams in that analysis that are predicted to rank in the top four both in offense and defense (LSU being the other). Combine that with the special teams prowess and there might not be a more complete team in college football.
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Why Oklahoma is one of only 11 teams that can win the 2016 CFP
There are 128 teams who play at the highest level of college football, and they all start the season undefeated.
But the harsh reality is only 11 have a legitimate chance to win the 2016 College Football Playoff. In the ninth installment of an 11-part series, let's take a look at another of the few teams that could actually win the CFP: theOklahoma Sooners.
Last year, Bob Stoops' club posted its 13th 10-win season since 2000 (most in the FBS), a showing that could serve as a springboard to a national championship given the collection of talent returning from that squad. And remember, OU got to the CFP and brings back a good chunk of its key contributors.
Here are eight reasons how -- and why -- the Sooners could pick up those final two wins of the season in 2016.
Mayfield is Heisman-worthy
The most skilled person on OU's roster has to be Baker Mayfield. Last year he placed eighth among Power 5 quarterbacks in Total QBR (81.7), third in vertical pass Total QBR (95.5 on aerials thrown 11 or more yards downfield) and sixth on short pass Total QBR (80.9 on attempts traveling 10 or fewer yards downfield). This wasn't just a matter of consistent performances, as Mayfield showed record-setting capacity when he established Oklahoma single-game marks for total offense (572 yards versus Tulsa) and touchdown passes in a half (five, against Kansas State) and tied the single-game team record for touchdowns accounted for (six, also against Tulsa).
Big 12's best running backs
After only two seasons,Samaje Perinealready ranks in the top 10 in Oklahoma program history in rushing touchdowns (37, ninth) and rushing yards (3,062, ranked 10th). That is an incredible achievement given the Sooners' storied running back history that includes all-time greats such as Adrian Peterson, DeMarco Murray, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Greg Pruitt, Billy Vessels and Joe Washington.
Add inJoe Mixon, who ranked seventh among Power 5 backs with 100 or more carries last season in rushing yards per carry (6.7) andAlex Ross(18 rushes of 10 or more yards on only 123 career rushing attempts) and the Sooners may have the best set of running backs in the Big 12.
2015 offensive line? Not so good. 2016 O-line? Should be much better
The Sooners opened the 2015 campaign with freshmen at both offensive tackle positions (Orlando BrownandDru Samia). According to the Oklahoma sports information department, that is the first time that had ever happened in a Sooners season-opening game.
Add in freshmanJonathan Alvarezand the Oklahoma front wall got out of the gate with three first-year starters. That inexperience caused some run-blocking problems early on, but things got a lot better after this group jelled. From Week 8 to the end of the season, Oklahoma ranked first among Power 5 clubs in yards per rush (6.0), tied for first in rushing touchdowns per game (3.3), second in rushes of 10 or more yards (68), second in rushing yards per game (276.3) and tied for second in first downs per rush (31.1 percent).
Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley's offensive lines have seen improvement in his second year in previous stops and that should be the case again this year because the aforementioned freshmen blocking trio will be joined by two ESPN Junior College 50 offensive linemen (Ben Powers and Ashton Julious) as well asJamal Danley, the No. 1 rated ESPN JC guard in 2015 and two recent four-star recruits, Bobby Evans and Alex Dalton.
Sterling who?
It's difficult to replace a player of Sterling Shepard's caliber, but the Sooners have more than a few candidates to take up the performance slack. The prime candidate here isDede Westbrook, the Big 12's newcomer of the year in 2015. Westbrook had 18 stretch vertical targets last year (aerials thrown 20 or more yards downfield), a total that was equal to Shepard's, and he had three stretch vertical touchdowns (only one shy of Shepard's four stretch vertical touchdowns), so he brings the type of tear-the-top-off-the-defense skill set that opponents will have to respect.
Another playmaking option isGeno Lewis, a fifth-year transfer from Penn State. Lewis had a down season last year, but in 2014 he ranked tied for sixth in the Big Ten in stretch vertical receptions (seven), ninth in stretch vertical yards (274) and tied for ninth in vertical receptions (16). He should be able to serve as a very effective downfield counterpunch to Westbrook.
A somewhat under-the-radar target could be tight endMark Andrews. Last year, Andrews set an Oklahoma record for most touchdown receptions by a freshman (seven) despite playing in only 107 of 439 pass attempts. Put him on the field on a full-time basis and Andrews could vie for a double-digit touchdown total.
Best secondary in the country?
Even with the loss of Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma is absolutely stacked in terms of defensive secondary talent. They bring back arguably their best cornerback inJordan Thomas, who made the 2015 ESPN.com All-Big 12 team in part by racking up five interceptions (tied for third in the Big 12) and gaining 153 interception return yards (sixth most in a single season in Oklahoma history).
The Sooners' deep secondary coverage will be in great shape because they return two All-Big 12 second team safeties inAhmad ThomasandSteven Parker. This duo ranked first and third on the team, respectively, in defensive snaps last season (947 for Thomas, 931 for Parker, according to Stats LLC). They also placed tied for 21st (Thomas, 7.1) and 28th (Parker, 7.6) in yards per attempt allowed among Power 5 safeties with 30 or more targets last season.
Depth is another strong suit for this club, especially at cornerback where the Sooners haveDakota Austin(5.5 YPA last year, best among Sooners cornerbacks with 30 or more targets),P.J. Mbanasor(the Sooners top-rated recruit in the 2015 class) and several other highly rated players.
The defensive front seven has some scary talent
Oklahoma's personnel losses in the defensive front seven are one of the biggest hurdles to this team's national-title hopes, but there are many candidates in line to take over as impact players in this group.
At the top of this list:Charles Walker, who racked up six sacks, 10 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and 36 tackles last season. Those are impressive numbers on their own, yet Walker tallied them on only 392 defensive snaps, or only 39.6 percent of the team's 989 total defensive snaps last season. Move Walker to a full-time snap basis and his production could skyrocket.
The same can be said for many other Oklahoma defensive linemen.Matt Dimonhad seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 34 tackles on only 460 snaps.Marquise Overtontallied two sacks, two tackles for loss and six tackles on a mere 80 snaps. Add linebacker Caleb Kelly, Oklahoma's top-rated prospect in the 2016 recruiting class to a slew of additional four-star defensive front seven recruits over the past two years and the Sooners should be able to get quality production out of this group.
Special teams should be very strong (again)
Stoops has a long history of getting upper-tier performance out of his special teams. This was the case in many ways last year, as kicker/punterAustin Seibertwon second-team All-Big 12 honors by ranking fifth among Power 5 kickers in field goal percentage on kicks of 40 or more yards (83.3 percent, minimum 10 total field goal attempts).
Throw in the team leading the nation in punt return average allowed and it would seem hard to improve upon this platoon, but there actually are reasons to think Oklahoma could see significant improvement here. The Sooners posted a minus-4.5 total in ESPN Stats & Information's special teams expected points added (STEPA) metric that measures the scoreboard impact of special teams plays via anexpected points framework. That is the second-lowest STEPA posted by a Stoops Oklahoma club since the metric started being tracked in 2005 and is much lower than typical 10-20 point STEPA range tallied by his teams.
With some improvement in long kickoff returns, an area where the team gave up three returns of 30 or more yards (tied for last in the Big 12), this platoon should move back to its normal level.
Yeah, those road games aren't very hard
The Sooners do have a tough overall schedule, including an early-season home contest against Ohio State and a trip to Houston to play the Cougars (though that one is at NRG Stadium, not Houston's TDECU Stadium). But the Buckeyes had to replace a total of 16 offensive and defensive starters and thus will likely still be facing some growing pains at that point of the season. The away schedule is also highly favorable, as outside of TCU, Oklahoma has three only true road matchups, with those contests being against teams that finished 12-17 in the Big 12 last year (West Virginia, Texas Tech and Iowa State).
The bottom line
The Sooners ranked third in ESPN Stats & Information's preseason Football Power Index that is designed to measure team strength going forward. Oklahoma is one of only two teams in that analysis that are predicted to rank in the top four both in offense and defense (LSU being the other). Combine that with the special teams prowess and there might not be a more complete team in college football.
