Preseason Magazine Roundup Part 2

OU in Preseason Magazines

Magazines At a Glance

Cover Boy
QB Sam Bradford is featured on the covers of all four publications, appearing on the national editions of Athlon and Lindy's and on regional covers for The Sporting News and Phil Steele's.

Love from Athlon
While Oklahoma is picked in the top five nationally across the board, Athlon has the Sooners ranked the highest at No. 2. It is also the only magazine that predicts OU will win the Big 12 South.

All-Everything
Senior TE Jermaine Gresham and junior DT Gerald McCoy are listed on each publication's preseason All-America first team. Bradford is a unanimous second team selection.

Big 12 Recognition
A total of 15 Sooners are considered All-Big 12 caliber, including nine who are listed on at least one of the magazine's first teams. In addition to Bradford, Gresham and McCoy, Travis Lewis, DeMarco Murray and Trent Williams made each publication's first team.

For a complete look at where each magazine has the Sooners pegged, visit Part 1 of this feature which was released on Friday, June 12.

SoonerSports.com takes a closer look at the preseason magazines with a summary and conclusions. Later this week, we will offer a historical analysis of what these predictions could mean for 2009.

NORMAN, Okla. -- While the Sooners are not listed at the top of any publication's preseason poll, the consensus is that OU will again be right in the middle of the Big 12 and national title races.

Whether or not Coach Stoops and his troops can win their fourth straight conference crown and conquer their recent BCS struggles will hinge on a few key positions. Not surprisingly, the magazines point to the offensive line, wide receivers and safeties as the keys to Oklahoma's success in 2009.

The first unit most everyone wants to talk about is the offensive line, where four starters are gone from a year ago. Year-in and year-out Oklahoma has the talent up front, but this year's group lacks the experience we have grown accustomed to in the recent past. Getting everyone on the same page and establishing consistency will be a focal point from the start of camp.

While many experts predict a drop-off in production, Phil Steele's points out that OU has had success overhauling the line before. In 2006, the last time Oklahoma had to work in four new starters on the offensive line, the Sooners averaged more points per game and more yards per carry than the previous year.

Of course, helping take the pressure off the younger players up front are some of the cornerstones from one of the most prolific offenses in college football history. OU returns arguably the top players in the country at three different positions with QB Sam Bradford, TE Jermaine Gresham and OT Trent Williams. Mix in a pair of 1,000-yard running backs in Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray, along with Mossis Madu and Matt Clapp, and the Sooners have one of the most dynamic backfields in program history.

Another position most point to as a question mark for Oklahoma is wide receiver, where fixtures Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson must be replaced. The Sporting News is confident OU has a number of up-and-comers who are ready to fill the void, led by sophomore Ryan Broyles, who established himself as one of the nation's most elusive players last season. With Brandon Caleb, Madu, Dejuan Miller, Jameel Owens and Adron Tennell all competing for time, the Sooners have the talent to pick up right where they left off.

On the defensive side of the ball, there is no question OU's front seven is among the best in the country. All-American Gerald McCoy leads a defensive line that is ranked first or second by all three publications which release national position rankings. The linebackers, anchored by Keenan Clayton, Travis Lewis and Ryan Reynolds, are ranked second or third across the board.

The only position the magazines could critique is safety, where the Sooners lose both of their starters from a year ago. While replacing Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes will be no easy feat, Quinton Carter, Sam Proctor and Joseph Ibiloye, among others, have the physical maturity and overall skill to make their presence felt immediately. With returning starters Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson holding down the corner positions, the safeties will not be asked to shoulder much of the burden on defense.

All in all, it may be difficult for the offense to match the numbers they put up last season, but the defense has the ability to take over more games. Sure, there are a few holes to fill, but this team is definitely not short on talent. If Stoops and his staff can put all the pieces together, which they have done so many times before, look for the Sooners to again be in the hunt for hardware at the end of the season.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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