Ranking the Top 100 College Football Teams for 2018: No. 10 Oklahoma

In the 100 days leading up to the kickoff of the college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, HERO Sports is ranking the top 100 teams in the FBS. Each day, starting May 17 and ending Aug. 24, a new team is revealed in the HERO Sports Top 100. 

No. 10 Oklahoma

"I think it's got a chance to be maybe the most talented team that we've had in the last four years," Oklahoma second-year head coach Lincoln Riley said in July. "I think if this team reaches its potential then we can play with [anybody] and we can beat anybody."

If Oklahoma is a more talented team without guys like Baker Mayfield, Mark Andrews and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, they'll barrel through the Big 12. 

We have a lot questions first.

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2017 Record: 12-2 (8-1, Big 12)

Oklahoma won 12 games for the first time since 2012 and is one of only four FBS programs with at least 11 wins in each of the last three seasons (Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State). They won a third straight Big 12 title — the program's 47th conference title (11th Big 12 title) — and made the College Football Playoff for a second time. 

While it ended in heartbreak — and they could've been a problem for Alabama, which makes the loss to Georgia even worse — it was a strong season for a program with a first-year head coach.

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Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (2nd Year, 12-2)

Thrust into the job in June, Lincoln Riley — the youngest head coach in the FBS at the time — responded by winning more games than any first-year head coach in program history.

His predecessor, Bob Stoops, won a national championship in his second season. Just sayin'.

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Player Losses

QB Baker Mayfield, FB Dimitri Flowers, RB Abdul Adams, WR Jeff Badet, TE Mark Andrews, OT Orlando Brown, C Erik Wren, DE D.J. Ward, LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, LB Emmanuel Beal, CB Jordan Thomas, S Steven Parker, S William Johnson

Baker Mayfield was the second Oklahoma quarterback selected with the first pick in the NFL Draft in the last nine years (Sam Bradford). The Heisman Trophy winner finished his career ranked second in FBS history in passing efficiency (Bradford is first) and set the FBS record for consecutive games with multiple touchdown passes (27).

Also gone from an offense that averaged 45.1 points per game (third in the FBS) are All-Big 12 players Dimitri Flowers, Mark Andrews, Orlando Brown and Erik Wren. Running back Abdul Adams transferred to Syracuse after averaging more than nine yards per carry last year, though the Sooners have plenty of backfield depth.

Co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Ogbonnia Okoronkwo led the team in both tackles for loss (17.5) and sacks (eight) and finished his career with the second-most career sacks (21) among Oklahoma linebackers. Leading tackler Emmanuel Beal is also gone, as is longtime starting safety Steven Parker.

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Returning Offensive Players

QB Kyler Murray, QB Austin Kendall, RB Rodney Anderson, RB Trey Sermon, WR CeeDee Lamb, WR Marquise Brown, TE Grant Calcaterra, OT Bobby Evans, G Ben Powers, G Dru Samia, K Austin Seibert

Oklahoma averaged 38 points, 510 yards and one turnover (in regulation) in their two losses. They didn't miss out on a perfect season and a shot at the national championship because of their offense.

Since Kyler Murray, a former five-star recruit and the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2015 class, transferred to Oklahoma in December 2015, it's been assumed he'd replace Mayfield. He was the backup last year, has significant game experience (142 career passing attempts, 67 rushing attempts) and wouldn't delay his baseball career to be backup again, right?

"Kyler's not the quarterback yet," Riley said at Big 12 Media Days "There's a really good competition going on and Kyler's gonna have to fight like crazy to win this job."

Murray is fighting sophomore Austin Kendall, a former four-star recruit whose primary recruiter was Riley. At 6-foot-2, 219 pounds, Kendall isn't huge but he's much bigger than Murray (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) and is more of a pro-style pocket passer, though he's capable of moving.

The winner — and it'd be shocking if it's not Murray — gets a skill group that lost Mark Andrews but returns a Heisman candidate at running back in Rodney Anderson (whom Rotoworld's Thor Nystrom raved over on a recent episode of The Hot Route), two explosive receivers in Marquise Brown (19.2 yards per reception) and CeeDee Lamb (17.5) and a good tight end in Grant Calcaterra.

“So I could run through arm tackles,” Lamb said of adding about 30 pounds since last August. “It happened a lot of times last year, where I felt like I could just run through them, but I didn’t have enough leg strength. That’s been a major part of my [workouts], getting my legs right.”

Right tackle Bobby Evans moved to the left side following Orlando Brown's departure and will anchor one of the nation's better offensive lines. Last year, the unit allowed a sack rate of 5.7 percent (50th in the FBS) and paved the way for a 5.6 yards-per-carry average (13th).

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Returning Defensive Players

DE Kenneth Mann, DT Amani Bledsoe, DT Marquise Overton, DT Dillon Faamatau, DT Neville Gallimore, LB Kenneth Murray, LB Caleb Kelly, CB Parnell Motley, CB Tre Norwood, S Khalil Haughton

In those two losses in which the offense averaged 38 points, 510 yards and one turnover, the defense averaged 41.5 points, 473.5 yards and 0.5 turnovers. They were gashed for 317 rushing yards in the Georgia loss (9.3 yards per carry) and finished the season with a 4.4 yards-per-attempt average (64th in the FBS). They were mediocre in the red zone (84 percent) and on third downs (38 percent), forced just 1.3 turnovers per game and ranked eighth in the Big 12 in ESPN's defensive efficiency.

Coordinator Mike Stoops was given an extension. And a raise. 

“We need more playmakers,” Stoops said in April. “We don't have enough on the field. If you don't get more, then it's going to be tough. You gotta have guys that can get in position to cover the field and make plays.”

With all due respect to Stoops, that's an asinine excuse. It's his job to get the playmakers on the field. The Sooners' defense is laced with talent; they signed 17 four-star defensive recruits from 2015-17.

The unit's rising star, however, is a former three-star recruit who was Co-Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, linebacker Kenneth Murray. The 6-foot-2, 238-pounder had 78 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and one sack as a true freshman. And he's extremely confident in Stoops.

"He's a genius, and I mean that with all my heart," Murray (below) said of Stoops. "That man, he knows exactly what he's doing. He's putting players in the right position to make plays. The defense he teaches us — it's a great defense, it's a pretty easy defense to understand."

End Kenneth Mann anchors the line after a strong sophomore year (six tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles). He's the only returnee who had more than two sacks last year. Tackles Dillon Faamatau and Marquise Overton have been nice contributors but they could use more production inside. Maybe junior Neville Gallimore is ready for a breakout year.

“These five days you can just see he's more confident,” Stoops said of Gallimore, who started the first five games last year. “You're starting to see his skills show up every down. He's starting to play more consistently. He's been probably our most improved player, I would say, that I've seen thus far."

The secondary might play one senior all season (Khalil Haughton) and could rely heavily on freshmen and sophomores with little or no experience. The defense allowed 12.5 yards per completion and an average passer rating of 136.5 last year. 

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Player Additions

DE Jalen Redmond, DE Ronnie Perkins, LB Sam Jones, CB Brendan Radley-Hines

Brendan Radley-Hines, fifth-ranked corner in the 2018 class is not a big guy (5-foot-9, 186 pounds) but holy hell, he's physical, aggressive and has remarkable instincts for a guy who hasn't played a snap of college football. Come Week 1, he'll either start at corner, back up Motley and Norwood, and/or play nickel.

True freshmen defensive ends Jalen Redmond and Ronnie Perkins were early enrollees and made big impressions in the spring and will play immediately.

Redshirt freshman Sam Jones is fighting for snaps at linebacker after spending time at safety and receiver. 

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Schedule

In 2015, Oklahoma scheduled a 2018 season opener vs. FAU. At the time it was a cupcake game before they hosted UCLA. Now it's a tricky opener vs. a New Year's Six contender. 

They visit Iowa State in Week 3, play Texas in Week 6 and close the season with a trip to West Virginia on the day after Thanksgiving.