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Phil Steele Predicts Sooners to Top Pokes in Big 12 Race in 2017

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Grabbing 19 of a possible 32 first-place votes, the Sooners topped the Cowboys in the preseason Big 12 media poll released last week.

There’s not a huge gap between where OU and OSU stands among voters midway through the summer, even with a massive changing of the guard from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley at head coach. But respected prognosticator Phil Steele, who releases a popular preseason preview magazine every year, is siding with the majority when it comes to his own preseason projection.

Here’s what Steele said about why the Sooners are his favorites to come out on top of the Big 12.

The Sooners opened last year 1-2, falling out of the top 25. I said on all of my radio shows that they would finish 10-2 and win the Big 12, and that they did, going a perfect 9-0 in conference play (plus-130.9 yards per game). This year they rank 29th in my experience chart and return quarterback Baker Mayfield. They have my No. 1 offense and defense and No. 2 special teams in the Big 12. Despite a rugged Big 12 schedule that has them facing Texas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State all away from home, the Sooners are my favorite to win the Big 12 and potentially land their second playoff berth in three years. [ESPN]

Steele’s view on the OU defense won’t be challenged by many, but owning the No. 1 offense? That’s a debatable topic. The Sooners lost Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine and Dede Westbrook to the NFL — all of which combined for 4,603 total yards in 2016.

Although Baker Mayfield’s return for his twelfth and final senior season will do wonders to stabilize the offense in 2017, that’s still a ton of production to replace with mostly unproven commodities.

By comparison, OSU returns its No. 1 quarterback, No. 1 running back, and three of its top 5 receivers from last season. Steele likes the Cowboys’ chances to compete for the conference crown in large part because of the veteran line that returns and the favorable schedule that sets up well on paper.

Oklahoma State has finished with 10 wins in each of the past two seasons, and Cowboys backers would argue they had 11 last season with the Central Michigan fiasco. Quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington both return, as does a veteran O-line, and the Cowboys have the schedule to potentially win the Big 12. They have five conference home games and get most of the big boys in Stillwater. I think the schedule-maker moved Bedlam to early November to avoid a back-to-back rematch between the teams for the Big 12 title game. [ESPN]

Maybe we’re biased (we’re an OSU blog, after all), but we’re giving the preseason nod to the Cowboys. We’ll find out soon enough whether Steele is right or wrong, though. Only 45 more days until football season is officially underway in Oklahoma.

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