Oklahoma May Be Dominating the Big 12, But Is That Good Enough?

A year after making the College Football Playoff, Oklahoma returned with the majority of its offense and looked like a candidate to make the Playoff once again. That changed quickly when the Sooners lost two of their first three games to Houston and Ohio State.

The Sooners still aren't making the Playoff—because nobody in the Big 12 is making the Playoff—but Oklahoma is quietly on the verge of another double-digit win season, a second straight Big 12 title, and an undefeated Big 12 season.

OU dominated Baylor, 45-24, to move to 7-0 in the conference, and it's just a couple of wins against West Virginia and Oklahoma State away from going 10-2, and taking the Big 12's New Year's Six bowl spot.

The question is whether this year counts as a success for the Sooners?

Two games into the season, after the loss to Houston and the blowout loss at home to Ohio State, much of the OU fan base was ready to move on from coach Bob Stoops, who is the longest-tenured coach in Division I football. Stoops brought the Sooners to the Playoff last year and has a national championship during his time in Norman, but he has a reputation for underachieving after a few mediocre years in the early 2010s.

The story of this year sums up the frustration fans have with Stoops. The Sooners started out disappointing, and the offense with star quarterback Baker Mayfield and the two-headed monster of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon at running back, couldn't give the team enough to win their big non-conference games. But now they're on the verge of a Big 12 title, which would be a solid season by anyone's standards, including the historic standards at Oklahoma. Nobody can win a national title every year, especially at Oklahoma.

At the same time, it's fair to wonder what could have been for the Sooners. Houston hasn't turned out to be the juggernaut we thought, and while Ohio State might be one of the best teams in the country, Oklahoma shouldn't be blown out by the Buckeyes at home, either.

Games against West Virginia and Oklahoma State will be tough, but the Sooners should win them both. Another 10-win season, another Big 12 title. The Stoops conundrum will last another year, but there are much worse problems to have.