John Blake used to be the head coach of Oklahoma.
2012 Program Preview - Oklahoma
Ok. Stinging jokes aside, OU’s a program in fine standing. Sure, they fell from first overall in the preseason rankings to the mid-teens by season’s end last year. But consider that they were ranked first to begin with. Consider that they’ve won three bowl games in a row. Consider that the last bowl game they lost was the BCS Championship.
OU hopes to grow on those past three bowl wins this year. QB Landry Jones opted to return to Norman. WR Kenny Stills joins him along with unit-mate (I can say that, right?) Trey Metoyer. The defense is stout. The question is if they can win the tough games to set them up for the late season run they haven't gotten to in recent years.
In 2009, QB Sam Bradford injured his shoulder against BYU and didn't recover by the final whistle. They wandered through that season with close losses to Miami, Nebraska and most notably Texas (to say nothing of the Texas Tech beatdown). A year later, midseason losses to Missouri and Texas A&M derailed any national hopes. Of course last year, it was the shock loss to Texas Tech, the RGIII-fueled loss to Baylor and an, "Oh, jeez, I'm really tired. You guys take this one," loss in the Bedlam game to close the regular season. It was the first time OSU had beaten the Sooners in nine years.
So what? So OU is good. They’re always good. And they’re good this year.
After the jump, the prospects worth noting as well as some games and matchups to pencil into your calendar.
References
Crimson and Cream Machine (SB Nation Oklahoma community), SB Nation team page, official team site, Bill Connelly’s preview for SBN, CBS Sports preview
Notable offensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Landry Jones | QB | RS Sr. | 2 |
| Tyler Evans | G | Sr. | 7 (injured - will miss the season due to ACL tear) |
| Dominique Whaley | RB | Sr. | UD (coming off serious ankle injury in 2011) |
| Kenny Stills | WR | Jr. | 2 |
| Gabe Ikard | G | RS Jr. | 4 |
| Roy Finch | RB | Jr. | UD |
| Gabe Lynn | CB | RS Jr. | UD |
Notable defensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Demontre Hurst | CB | Sr. | 5 |
| Javon Harris | S | Sr. | 7 |
| Jamarkus McFarland | DT | Sr. | UD |
| Stacy McGee | DT | RS Sr. | UD |
| R.J. Washington | DE | RS Sr. | UD |
| David King | DE | RS Sr. | UD |
| Casey Walker | DT | RS Sr. | UD |
| Tony Jefferson | FS | Jr. | 2 |
| Tom Wort | MLB | RS Jr. | 3 |
| Corey Nelson | OLB | Jr. | 5 |
| Aaron Colvin | CB | Jr. | 6 |
| Lane Johnson | OT | RS Jr. | UD |
Summary
It’s Oklahoma. No matter what NFL team you’re following, you want to keep an eye on the Sooners all year. It’s that simple.
Key games
Texas (home*) - Week 7 (Sat., Oct. 13 - TBD)
Still the Red River Shootout to me. College football at its best.
Oklahoma St. (home) - Week 13 (Sat., Nov. 24 - TBD)
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE BEDLAM WHEEEEEEEEEEEE. Oh, I need to say something insightful here? Uh, OU lost by 34 last year. They will likely be interested in not doing that this year. Does that count? No? Oh well. Let’s just move along.
Key matchups
WR Kenny Stills v. Texas CB Carrington Byndom, Week 7 - Sat., Oct. 13
I seem to be a bit higher on Stills than most and a bit lower on Byndom. Regardless, most would agree that if they declare (both still have a year of eligibility), they’ll be drafted. This game will help clarify when.
CB Demontre Hurst v. TCU WR Josh Boyce, Week 14 - Sat., Dec. 1
Similarly, Hurst and Boyce are NFL-bound themselves. Hurst makes sense as a matchup on Boyce with Aaron Colvin and Lamar Harris available to cover TCU's taller receivers.
I’m sure this will be a very friendly game as OU heads to Ft. Worth to lovingly accept the Horned Frogs into the warmth and comfort of the Big XII. BFFs, and all that.
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