On August 5th of this year, the Crimson & Cream Machine staff sat down together for a round-table that produced five bold predictions for the 2015 Oklahoma Sooners Football season. While some of those predictions seemed downright outrageous at the time, others were deemed unlikely, but achievable. As a refresher, here's the list of those predictions:
2015 Bold Predictions
2015 Bold Predictions
- The Sooners will lead the conference in passing defense
- Oklahoma will go undefeated at home
- Dede Westbrook and Sterling Shepard will eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark
- OU will beat the Baylor Bears in Waco
- The fifth, we left up to you our readers and avid Sooner football fans
As promised on the Sooner Nation Podcast, here is a look back at where we got it right and where we went horribly wrong.
1) Correct - As mentioned above, I said the Sooners had the potential to lead the conference in passing yards allowed. However, I had a huge question mark working against myself in that the secondary remained inexperienced. There's no doubt the talent was there but the product on the field may have been one of the best surprises. Allowing 201.5 yards per game through the air, OU ranked first in the Big XII. Building upon that success, Oklahoma also ranked first in the conference in yards allowed on the ground at 149.2 per game, scoring defense at 20.8 points allowed per game, and total defense at 350.7 yards surrendered to opposing offenses.
2) Correct - With a new offensive coordinator and talented quarterback running the show, the Sooners remained perfect at home. The TCU Horned Frogs had the opportunity to ruin the run in Norman with a two-point conversion. Fortunately the attempt failed as the Palace on the Prairie took steps toward being one of the toughest places to play once again.
3) 50% Correct = Wrong - Sterling Shepard had quite the senior season. Finally taking the field against Baylor in Waco, the senior receiver racked up 1,201 receiving yards along side 11 touchdowns. The marks led Oklahoma by a long shot at the position. With plenty of hype heading into the season, many thought Dede Westbrook could have a monster season. Proving his worth as the number two option, Westbrook wasn't able to match Shepard's numbers. Collecting 674 receiving yards, the junior fell short of the prediction.
4) Correct - When Robert Griffin III took down the mighty Sooners in Waco, it apparently solved the riddle. The win started a trend as Baylor went 3-1 against OU heading into the 2015 season with a win in Norman on that list. Yet, something clicked for Oklahoma as the team put together a complete performance to stifle a potent BU offense. The effort produced a 44-34 win in Waco this year.
5) ??? - Feel free to look back at your bold predictions and let us know how you did in the comments section below.