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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Preseason Magazines Predict Big Things
June 15, 2011 | Football
NORMAN, Okla. -- With college football preseason magazines hitting the newsstands, prognosticators are starting to debate what will unfold during the 2011 season.
At Oklahoma, the expectations are always the same -- to compete for a national title. So far, the pundits agree that will be the case next fall. OU is listed No. 1 or No. 2 by all four major publications, with Lindy's tabbing the Sooners as the preseason favorite.
What else are the preseason magazines saying about Oklahoma? We've compiled the information for Sooner fans:
We don't want to put too much stock in preseason predictions. After all, performance on the field and the final rankings in January are ultimately what matters. For the sake of analysis, however, we break down the accuracy of the preseason magazines in predicting OU's finish over the last 10 years:
Overall, the publications have been fairly accurate. In seven of the last 10 years, OU's average preseason ranking has been within two spots of its final ranking.
At Oklahoma, the expectations are always the same -- to compete for a national title. So far, the pundits agree that will be the case next fall. OU is listed No. 1 or No. 2 by all four major publications, with Lindy's tabbing the Sooners as the preseason favorite.
What else are the preseason magazines saying about Oklahoma? We've compiled the information for Sooner fans:
| National Projection | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Big 12 Projection | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Quick Take | "Oklahoma looks to have the most complete team in the nation." | "The SEC's national championship winning streak has to end sometime, right? OU has the offense and the athletes to do it." |
"Make no mistake, this team is good enough to run the table in 2011." | "The Sooners have the most talent of any team in the country." |
| National Position Rankings | WR - 2nd LB - 2nd QB - 4th DB - 10th |
WR - 1st LB - 2nd QB/RB - 5th DB - 7th DL - 10th |
N/A (TSN does not list position rankings) |
WR - 1st LB - 2nd QB - 3rd DB - 3rd RB - 16th OL - 18th DL - 19th |
| Heisman Watch | Landry Jones (No. 6) Ryan Broyles (No. 9) |
Landry Jones (No. 2) | Landry Jones (No. 4) | Landry Jones (No. 2) Ryan Broyles (No. 11) |
| Preseason All-Americans |
1st Team WR Ryan Broyles 2nd Team LB Travis Lewis |
1st Team WR Ryan Broyles 2nd Team LB Travis Lewis |
1st Team WR Ryan Broyles 2nd Team OL Stephen Good LB Corey Nelson 3rd Team QB Landry Jones |
1st Team QB Landry Jones WR Ryan Broyles LB Travis Lewis 4th Team C Ben Habern |
| Preseason All-Big 12 |
1st Team WR Ryan Broyles DL Frank Alexander LB Travis Lewis PR Ryan Broyles 2nd Team QB Landry Jones RB Roy Finch TE James Hanna OL Gabe Ikard DL Ronnell Lewis CB Demontre Hurst P Tress Way 3rd Team WR Kenny Stills LB Tony Jefferson K Jimmy Stevens |
1st Team QB Landry Jones WR Ryan Broyles AP Trey Millard DL Ronnell Lewis LB Travis Lewis DB Tony Jefferson 2nd Team RB Roy Finch TE James Hanna OL Gabe Ikard DL Frank Alexander DB Demontre Hurst P Tress Way |
1st Team QB Landry Jones WR Ryan Broyles OL Stephen Good LB Travis Lewis LB Corey Nelson (only 1st Team listed) |
1st Team QB Landry Jones WR Ryan Broyles C Ben Habern DL Ronnell Lewis LB Travis Lewis CB Demontre Hurst PR Ryan Broyles 2nd Team RB Brandon Williams WR Kenny Stills OG Gabe Ikard DL Frank Alexander DL Jamarkus McFarland S Aaron Colvin P Tress Way 3rd Team TE James Hanna 4th Team LB Corey Nelson K Jimmy Stevens |
| A Word on the Offense | "Broyles draws the headlines, and rightly so. He produced the greatest receiving season in school history a year ago." | "Jones was only three yards from breaking Bradford's OU season passing record. With the playmakers back on offense, he may pass the mark this time." |
"The offensive line greatly improved last season and should continue the uptick thanks to the play of center Ben Habern and guard Gabe Ikard." |
"Despite the loss of their top RB, true freshman Brandon Williams was dynamic in the spring and this unit could be more productive overall." |
| A Word on the Defense | "There are some big holes to fill... But don't worry, standouts like linebacker Travis Lewis and end Frank Alexander should handle things until the new starters get comfortable." | "The Sooners are so loaded that coach Bob Stoops called reserve outside linebacker Corey Nelson OU's top defender of the spring. Nelson would start, except he's behind All-America candidate Travis Lewis." |
"There's plenty of talent (there always is at Oklahoma); it's simply a matter of sorting through the candidates." | "The defensive line is a little more experienced and even with the loss of their top guy, should have improved numbers." |
We don't want to put too much stock in preseason predictions. After all, performance on the field and the final rankings in January are ultimately what matters. For the sake of analysis, however, we break down the accuracy of the preseason magazines in predicting OU's finish over the last 10 years:
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Athlon | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Lindy's | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Sporting News | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 2 |
| Phil Steele | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Avg. Preseason | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 8 | 3.5 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Final AP Poll | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 11 | 8 | 5 | NR | 6 | ? |
| Difference | -1 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -15.5 | -6.5 | 0 | -1.5 | -23 | 0 | ? |
Overall, the publications have been fairly accurate. In seven of the last 10 years, OU's average preseason ranking has been within two spots of its final ranking.
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