We have reached that point in the preseason, the polls are out and they are good for water cooler talk around the office. Whether you believe preseason rankings are irrelevant, they do give you an idea of where the nation sees each team. For Oklahoma, the hype train has reached a fever pitch. The fan base and media alike see the Crimson and Cream competing for the CFP come January.
It is hard to fathom calling a No. 3 team in the country underrated but that is exactly what 247Sports analyst Brad Crawford did. Oklahoma came in behind Alabama and Clemson in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll on Tuesday. The Sooners were the recipients of two first-place votes.
College football diehards with their finger on the pulse of offseason narratives may have noticed the hype levels surrounding the Sooners this summer. For once, the noisy momentum is warranted. For starters, no team in college football likely feels better about its quarterback situation entering the season than Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma. Spencer Rattler returns with a year of experience in big games under his belt as the chosen one nationally — Heisman frontrunner, face of college football, etc. But where this team goes from great to elite this season and potentially wins their first Playoff game in Riley’s tenure comes on defense.
The offense is loaded. Spencer Rattler is chasing the Heisman Trophy and the elusive CFP semifinal victory. The defense is just as loaded, led by pass-rush specialist Nik Bonitto. Alex Grinch has turned the defense completely around after that abomination of an effort in 2018.
On the south side of the Red River, we have the Texas Longhorns coming in at No. 19. Crawford was not a fan.
Name recognition. As you know, it means everything in college football. Perhaps the Longhorns are over-inflated a bit heading into the season with a first-year starting quarterback and a brand-new coaching staff under Steve Sarkisian. The latest win total from Vegas oddsmakers stands at 7.5, which means Texas is just as likely to finish 7-5 this fall as it is 8-4 depending on how many games you think the Longhorns can win. Will Sarkisian’s offense click in Year 1? Are we expecting an improved defense under the tutelage of Pete Kwiatkowski? There are more questions than answers right now for the Longhorns, which begs the question — why did the coaches rank Texas inside the top 20?