#2 Texas

Texas goes first this year having all the ‘experts’ picking them to finish better than OU. Seems like they do this often though and OU ends up proving them wrong somehow. Last year, Texas won on the field but OU won in the polls thanks to Texas Tech. Texas’ primary weapon is Colt McCoy. The one time undersized baby Colt is man-sized now as the Heisman favorite and enters his Senior year with many weapons. Though Quan Cosby was a big target for McCoy last year and is gone now, Colt still has his buddy Jordan Shipley to count on. This will be the main duo this year for the Horns. Texas returns most of their O line. The biggest impact players to graduate other than Cosby come from the defense. That probably won’t matter much since the offense can score at will. Sooner fans shouldn’t get to confident about the Longhorn defense though. Senior Roddrick Muckelroy flies around well on defense. What’s he famous for? Back in HS, he tackled Adrian Peterson 17 times. Since OU’s ‘great’ tag-team combination of running backs could only muster 48 yards the entire RRS game last year, he should still be a point of concern. The only concern on Texas offense is their running back situation. When your leading rusher for the year is your QB, you probably have issues. The Good news for Texas fans is that even with poor running back results last year, OU still couldn’t stop them.

How to beat Texas:

Cut the head off the snake.  The only way any team will beat Texas this year is if they can get to the QB. Blitz all day and put him on the ground. Double cover Shipley and take your chances with everyone else. None of that will be easy though with an experienced offensive line and QB.

#3 Oklahoma

Yes, I’m an Oklahoma fan. A homer some would say. However I do also believe in reality. The reality for OU this year is this. Sam Bradford can’t possibly play as well as he did last year. He lost his main wide receivers and 4 out of 5 starting offensive linemen. He lost so many WRs that back up RBs are being converted to play WR. Senior WR Tennell has never been a standout. Bradford’s main weapon to throw to this year will be sophomore Ryan Broyles, a very exciting player to watch. Broyles is exciting to watch off the field too. Texas fans may remember him as the OU player that was caught stealing gasoline before his freshman year. All of that was forgotten by most people when he stepped onto the field. He is very hard to catch once he has the ball. He was the first Sooner to score against Texas last year.
Bradford has also lost the left side of his O line, but that may not be a bad thing. Great against the pass rush, they were awful running left in critical situations. 2 straight left side running plays against Florida at the goal line only proves the point. You’d think two 350lb linemen could blow holes in any defense but it turns out they were slower than BEVO on LSD. Perhaps a more mobile left side will help the running game. The good news for Bradford is that OU may have the best TE in the country in Germain Gresham. He has great size and can catch anything. The defense will start strong in 2009. A healthy set of LBs will make the difference for OU this year, and OU is being praised for its corners. Two men on the defensive line, McCoy, the All American and Demarcus Granger, a run stopping stud will cause problems for any o-line. Health is the concern for OU over all. Granger is coming back from surgery and so are LBs Ryan Reynolds and Austin Box. If OU can stay healthy to the Texas game, OU can beat Texas.

How to Beat OU:

If OU goes into the Texas game playing with reserves, they won’t be able to stop the Texas offense. Texas won’t have to do anything special. Keeping OU’s defense on the field will be the key because of their lack of depth. It should be easier to get to Bradford this year. Added pressure on the QB combined with inexperience at the WR position should force more punts and INTs.

Who Wins the RRS in 2009?

5 games into the 2009 season, OU will have played #25 BYU, Tulsa and Baylor and at Miami. Tulsa was the nation’s #2  in offensive production last year and Baylor is much improved as well.  The Longhorns schedule is embarrassing. They will not be tested by the time the RRS is played. Their big games are OU, at OSU and at Texas A&M. Texas Tech is breaking in a new QB and that game is at home before the RRS. If battle-tested OU is still healthy, they can win and may have the advantage. They will come in with more confidence. OU will be ready for Texas. Overall, Texas has fewer questions though. Will a weak early schedule keep Texas healthy for OU or will it backfire and keep them soft and unprepared? I expect with OUs schedule these rankings will be flipped by the time the RRS rolls around. These teams are ranked 2 and 3 for a reason. There’s no clear winner on paper.

Thanks for continuing to hang out here.