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Oklahoma Sooners 2015 NCAA Football Gambling Odds & Predictions

2015-16 Football Previews – (Big 12) – OU Sooners

It says something about Oklahoma’s football program that an 8-5 season is seen as a complete failure, but that was reality last year. Passing was the Sooners’ undoing, both on offense and defense.

NCAA Football Gambling Lines

Big 12 Lines

Big 12 Conference 2015-16 College Football Preview – OU Sooners
Head Coach: Bob Stoops
2014 Record: 8-5
OU BCS Odds: +2800
Oklahoma Odds to win the Big 12: +550

The lack of an effective triggerman could hinder OU once again in 2015, though the rest of the roster is extremely talented, as the Sooners and their fans have grown accustomed to. Lincoln Riley has been brought over from the scoreboard-lighting East Carolina team to be the new offensive co-ordinator; he’ll have to make chicken salad out of chicken, well, you know.

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There could be plenty of running the ball in Norman this year.

With the shift in balance of power in the conference in recent years, it leaves Oklahoma in a bit of an existential crisis. This program is used to perennial success, and for years it was Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12, and then everyone else. The Red River rivalry was the penultimate showdown, but now it’s an afterthought.

Will it have any implications for longtime head coach Bob Stoops? Let’s pick apart the team’s strengths and weaknesses and delve into it some more.

Team Strengths:

The Sooners ran the ball a ton in 2014, on the shoulders of then-freshman Samaje Perine, an old school, downhill runner that punishes a defense. He had 263 totes for a conference-leading 1,713 yards and 21 TDs a year ago.

Oklahoma also rolls out a speedster in Alex Ross and freshman Joe Mixon, a talented recruit from two years ago that was forced to take a year away from the team due to character concerns.

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Oklahoma’s back seven should be in better shape this time around, thanks to an excellent LB corps led by senior Eric Striker and leading tackler Dominique Alexander, and a secondary led by veteran CB Zack Sanchez.

Though only one starter returns on the O-line (senior C Ty Darlington) there is plenty of veteran guile, tackles Josiah St. John and Derek Farniok and guard Nila Kasitati all being seniors.

Team Weaknesses:

Riley will be focused on making either junior Baker Mayfield – a walk-on transfer from Texas Tech – or last year’s starter Trevor Knight, a serviceable starting QB in the Big 12. Mayfield directed the spread offense that OU wants to run when he played at Tech, but he’s prone to turnovers.

Knight was awful last year, so Mayfield might still be the best option.

Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips decided to leave early for the NFL, and that leaves a gaping hole on the Sooners’ D-line. Speaking further to the defense, although Sanchez is a great player, others in the secondary need to step up around him. Sophomores Jordan Thomas and Steven Parker will get the longest looks.

OU needs replacements at kicker and punter, so highly-regarded freshman Austin Seibert may inherit both jobs.

2015-16 Oklahoma Sooners Prediction: 9-4

This year’s Oklahoma squad definitely has some strengths, but some notable shortcomings as well. If Mayfield can respond as a viable QB, the Sooners could be pretty good. Yet, they need to stop getting burned with the deep pass and opposing defenses can load up the box to try and slow down Perine, Ross and Mixon.

The Sooners will probably finish third in the conference behind Baylor and TCU, but that speaks to the current disparity in the league more than Oklahoma’s excellence.

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Not to mention, Oklahoma’s schedule is no picnic this year. If these sort of results continue to be the ‘norm’ in Norman (…sorry about that) maybe longtime coach Stoops will finally be shown the door.

2015 Sooners Schedule

  • 9/5/15 7:00 PM ET AKRON
  • 9/12/15 6:00 PM ET @TENN
  • 9/19/15 NOON ET TULSA
  • 10/3/15 TBD WVU
  • 10/10/15 TBD TEXAS (Dallas, TX)
  • 10/17/15 TBD @KSU
  • 10/24/15 TBD TX. TECH
  • 10/31/15 TBD @KANS
  • 11/7/15 TBD @IA. ST.
  • 11/14/15 TBD @BAYLOR
  • 11/21/15 TBD TCU
  • 11/28/15 TBD @OK. ST.

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Check out our Updated College Football Odds.

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By James Hayes

James has been naming every player on the EA Sports video game rosters for half a decade now, he’s finally putting his knowledge to better use writing for us here at CappersPicks.com. Your comments are welcome below…Give Us Your Take!