Why Fox’s Joel Klatt Likes Oklahoma in 2023

Rely Joel Klatt as a believer in Oklahoma soccer.

Regardless of the Sooners’ 6-7 end below Brent Venables in 2022, Fox’s lead faculty soccer recreation analyst has OU “virtually” in his “approach too early” preseason prime 10 for 2023.

“I thought of them given that they only misplaced a ton of shut video games,” Klatt mentioned this week on his faculty soccer podcast, “The Joel Klatt Present.”

“There was actually solely two video games that they bought blown out,” Klatt continued. “And, by the way in which, in each of these video games, they mainly misplaced their quarterback — both he was knocked out of the sport, Dillon Gabriel in opposition to TCU, or did not play within the Texas recreation. After which when he was on the sector, what did they do? Performed one-possession video games. Sadly, they misplaced all of them.”

The Sooners began Venables’ rookie season at 3-0 with a 49-14 win over Nebraska in Lincoln. However they then misplaced three straight to Large 12 champion Kansas State by seven, at nationwide runner-up TCU and rival Texas — the latter two after Gabriel went down with a concussion.

From there, OU beat Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, however misplaced 38-35 to Baylor, 23-20 at West Virginia, 51-48 at Texas Tech and 35-32 to Florida State within the Cheez-It Bowl.

“They have been just like the the direct reverse of what TCU was this 12 months,” Klatt mentioned. “TCU was a group that, after they bought into a detailed recreation, they ended up profitable that shut recreation. And this is Oklahoma 0-5 in one-score video games; so this is an Oklahoma group that gained six video games after which they have been 0-5 in one-score video games. That simply flips.”

Klatt’s 2023 prime 10 consists of Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Penn State, LSU, Florida State, USC, Tennessee and Washington. OU is in a bunch with Oregon, Notre Dame, TCU and Clemson on the cusp of the highest 10.

Klatt identified that on this 12 months’s ultimate regular-season Related Press Prime 25, the highest 12 groups all had a minimum of 10 wins.

“What all these groups have in frequent, typically talking, they’ve 10 or extra victories,” Klatt mentioned, “and I believe Oklahoma could possibly be in that class. They’re a group that would climb very simply. This can be a group that below Brent Venables has executed an awesome job in recruiting, and with Dillon Gabriel again and wholesome, I simply don’t see a purpose why Oklahoma can’t enhance dramatically, win a few of these shut video games and be a 9-, 10-, perhaps even 11-win group.”