The Big 12 Conference has had a team play for the national championship three times in the last four years and five times since 2000.
One of the reasons has been scheduling. Whether it be Oklahoma in 2000, 2003 and 2004, Nebraska in 2001 or Texas in 2005, one of those teams was able put itself in the national consciousness early and stay there.
OU, which starts the season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25, has a chance to do that again with the opponents it faces this season.
The non-conference schedule offers a blend of national intrigue and early season tuneups.
The Big 12 slate brings the same difficulty, but brings most of the heavyweights to Owen Field.
The Sooners open the season Sept. 1 against North Texas at Owen Field. Another meeting with the Mean Green doesn’t cause blood to boil. OU is 6-0 against the Denton, Texas, school.
It’s the following week national attention will focus on Norman. Miami comes to Owen Field for the first time since 1985 and the two teams will meet for the first time since playing for the national title in the 1988 Orange Bowl.
Sooner fans have been buzzing about the game since the contract was signed a couple years ago.
A lot of schools have been trying lessen the degree of schedule difficulty in recent years. But the meeting with the Hurricanes keeps up a five-year trend of OU playing a non-conference heavyweight.
“There isn’t as much incentive to play a hard non-conference schedule these days because in the polls there is more weight to being undefeated,” OU coach Bob Stoops said.
But there is some incentive. Much like the games against Alabama in 2002 and 2003, Oregon in 2004 and 2006, there will be a buzz around Owen Field Sept. 8.
“The exposure is great because everyone will be talking about it. Like our Miami game, it will have full national coverage,” Stoops said. “They are exciting. We feel if you are a top-10 team then you play top-10 opponents.”
Miami isn’t ranked in the Top 25 and the Sooners could very well be into the Big 12 slate before they meet a ranked foe.
Utah State comes to Owen Field Sept. 15 to end a run of three straight home games to start the season.
One of the most intriguing games on the schedule is the first road game. OU plays at Tulsa for the first time since Sept. 21, 2002. The game is also on a Friday night.
All four games are certainly winnable. But OU will be trying to go unblemished in the non-conference schedule for the first time since 2004. And going 4-0 should put the Sooners in national championship contention.
The Big 12 portion should be enough to keep the Sooners interested.
After the conference opener at Colorado Sept. 29, OU faces the preseason conference favorites on successive weeks.
The annual Cotton Bowl showdown with Texas is Oct. 6. The winner will assume control of the southern division and jump into the national title hunt.
Missouri, the preseason choice to win the north, comes to Owen Field Oct. 13. It’s the only home game the Sooners have against a north foe. They travel to Iowa State Oct. 20.
The regular season concludes with three home games in four weeks.
Texas A&M; comes to Owen Field Nov. 3 and Baylor follows Nov. 10. The road schedule concludes Nov. 17 against Texas Tech. It will be OU’s first trip to Lubbock since its highly-disputed loss in 2005.
Bedlam, which has become a Thanksgiving Weekend staple, is Nov. 25. The game could very well be for the Big 12 South title. The Sooners have entered the final week of the regular season with a shot at the division title in six of the last seven seasons.
The Big 12 championship game is Dec. 1 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The conference’s champ is guaranteed a berth in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 2 in Glendale, Ariz. And if everything goes really well, the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game is Jan. 8 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
“It is a challenge,” Stoops said. “We have got good schedules and exciting games coming.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Hurricane warning
OU Football prevew: Schedule
- OU Sports
-
-
It’s a recipe for success
Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso was answering questions Saturday after her Sooners clinched another return to the Women’s College World Series when, without really meaning to, she began to make it clear her job has, sort of, become ...
-
Tigers deny Sooners’ Big 12 title hopes
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma wanted to win its first Big 12 tournament in 16 years on Sunday. Missouri needed to win it to get in the NCAA Tournament. Need topped desire at Bricktown Ballpark....
-
Sooners make winning look easy
As Oklahoma’s players locked arms around the pitching circle, coming together for what passed as a celebration following Saturday’s 7-1 NCAA Super Regional-clinching victory over Arizona, three gloves remained near second base....
-
There are no easy outs in the lineup
Looking for a gameplan to stop Oklahoma? Well, one may or may not be available, but walking two of the first three Sooners you face certainly isn’t part of it. Just ask Arizona’s Kenzie Fowler....
-
Sooners will play for Big 12 championship
OKLAHOMA CITY, — It’s been 16 years since Oklahoma won the Big 12 tournament. It’s closer now than its ever been to ending the streak. The Sooners rolled through Baylor, 7-2, on Saturday at Bricktown Ballpark to advance to the tournament’s ...
-
Sooners send five more to nationals
AUSTIN, Texas — Oklahoma track and field teams had five more individuals qualify for the NCAA Championship on Saturday evening at the NCAA West Preliminary. The men’s 4x100-meter relay team also advanced to the national semifinals....
-
OU sophomore Jao-Javanil wins NCAA golf title
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Oklahoma’s Chirapat Jao-Javanil made Oklahoma golf history Friday, becoming the first Sooner, man or woman, to win an individual NCAA national championship....
-
Pitching staff is exactly where Golloway wants it to be
When the Big 12 tournament began, Oklahoma felt like it had the pitching staff to make a deep run. Dillon Overton, Jordan John, Jonathan Gray and Damien Magnifico gave them four quality starters and a closer — Steven Okert — capable of ...
-
Sooners shut out Wildcats, need one more win for WCWS entry
Oklahoma might have scored more runs, not committed an error and starting pitcher Keilani Ricketts could have been just a little more efficient along the way....
-
Sooners send 4 more to NCAAs
AUSTIN, Texas – Oklahoma’s track and field teams added four individuals to the list of Sooners advancing to the NCAA championship Friday at the NCAA West Preliminary. In addition to the four new qualifiers, Brittany Borman advanced to the ...
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
It’s a recipe for success
