A question that has been on my mind throughout this 2012 college football season is this: Just how good is this group of Sooners?
That is a question not easily answered, but one I think I'm ready to try and tackle.
The short answer? Good, but not (yet) great.
While this team is still on track for a 10-win season, they have to take care of business down the stretch to really have a chance at salvaging this season. On it's own, a 10 win season isn't anything to sneeze at, but 10 wins alone does not a great team make.
So the Big 12 title is likely not going to happen with the Sooners sole conference loss coming at the hands of Kansas State who would have to somehow drop two of their final three conference games for the Sooners to have a shot. Let's be honest, that's not gonna happen.
A more likely goal for this young bunch to set their eyes upon is a BCS game in January. Pending that the Sooners and K-State Wildcats both finish the season without another loss (as they both should), then KSU will be sent on to the national championship while the Sooners would appear to be a lock for the Fiesta Bowl. Not only the Fiesta Bowl, but also a likely showdown against one of the top finishers from the media-loving SEC conference.
A 10-win season and a Holiday bowl victory doesn't exactly get me all excited, but a potential 11-win season with a BCS bowl victory over a top SEC team? Now you're talking.
The Sooners still have a real chance at accomplishing something very special in 2012. The upcoming final three-game stretch that looked so daunting in the pre-season now looks easily winnable. The Sooners will be favored in each of their final regular season games and should see themselves ending up in the Fiesta bowl which they've become so accustom to over the recent past.
But is this team even good enough to get there? Are they good enough to defeat one of the SEC's finest if they do get there?
Forgive me if I don't buy into the SEC bias. Texas A&M didn't exactly dominate the Big 12 last year (or any previous year for that matter), yet they are now a powerhouse simply because they defeated the mighty Crimson Tide? Are we maybe over-valuing the SEC because of their recent national title success? Don't get me wrong, I realize the SEC has some of the top teams in the land, but are they really that much better than the rest? I don't think so.
This Sooner team is far from flawless and still have many roadblocks ahead before we can start talking a showdown with the SEC in the Fiesta Bowl, but the path has been laid out for them. Will this year's team regroup after an unprecedented two home losses and do something special? Or will they find a new way to squander the opportunity?
Bob, please don't squander this one.
Micah Hixon
A die hard Sooner fan through and through. Micah transferred his allegiance to the Oklahoma City Thunder the year the Mavs won the title (go figure). He believes the Thunder and Sooners have many titles to come in the not too distant future. Most of his comments are not backed up by any sort of fact based reasoning, but you can trust him.
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