A long time ago in a conference far, far away ...
OK, not that far away, but definitely outside the reach of the South, there stood a program at a crossroads.
Oklahoma was coming off a disastrous 8-5 season that included losses to Big 12 upstarts like TCU and Baylor. An overtime loss to in-state rival Oklahoma State was followed up by a dreadful 40-6 loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando.
The season was an abject failure, at least by Oklahoma standards.
In response, Bob Stoops did the unthinkable in today's day and age.
He rebooted his coaching staff. Eight of the nine assistant coaches were new to the program, including Lincoln Riley, a wunderkind offensive coordinator who brought the Air Raid offense to the Plains.
Incredibly, the Sooners bounced back with an 11-win season, a Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
But I see bigger and better things for Boomer Sooner, including a national championship. That's right, I'm tabbing Oklahoma as this year's title winner.
Sure the Sooners inexplicably suffered a 24-17 loss to Texas early in the season, but need I remind you of another team that shook off an early loss and eventually went on to win the national championship?
That's right, this team has all the same attributes of Ohio State's national title team.
And I know it's not much of a stretch; the Sooners were 5-to-2 odds to win the national championship, according to the sports book Bovada, right behind Alabama at 11-to-10. Nonetheless, there is always a risk involved, especially when it comes to picking a Big 12 team given the conference's recent bumpy postseason history.
That said, here are some of the factors that makes Oklahoma my favorite to win it all:
-- The body of work
Few teams have played a more difficult month of November than Oklahoma.
The Sooners opened with a blowout of Iowa State before wrapping up the season with showdowns against No. 6 Baylor, No. 18 TCU and No. 11 Oklahoma State. The win over the Cowboys gave OU the first out-right Big 12 title for the school since 2010.
Oklahoma has the toughest strength of schedule among the final four, slightly better than Alabama.
Then there is the personal factor.
-- Heisman hopeful Baker Mayfield
It probably goes without saying that Alabama's Derrick Henry is guaranteed a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy next week and Clemson's Deshaun Watson will likely join him. Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield should be invited to pack his bags for the Big Apple as well.
The former walk-on has been outstanding this season, combining for 3,809 total yards of offense and 42 total touchdowns. His 178.86 quarterback rating is third-best in the country and makes him one of the best passers in the country.
-- Big game Bob
And finally there is Bob Stoops.
The long-time Oklahoma coach led the Sooners to national championship game appearances in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2008, with a lone title coming in 2000. This team shares a lot of traits with Stoops' past title contenders, making it possible that there could be another title in Stoops' future.
Urban Meyer did the same sort of thing last season when he led the Buckeyes to his fourth national championship.
To do so though, Oklahoma is going to have to get past one relative newcomer and several Power 5 powerhouses. It won't be easy to say the least, but there are enough positives to believe this team can win it all.
Get ready to watch Big Game Bob celebrate college football's biggest team prize.
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