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Fall camps are underway and the regular season will be here soon, which means getting an early jump into the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time, and Matt Fargo is here to help you understand. what to expect next year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 college football trailer.

#9 – Oklahoma Sooners 8-4 SU; 6-6 ATS

Fargo’s Take The Sooners were a top five team a month ago, but now that starting quarterback Rhett Bomar has been cut from the team, they’ve slipped slightly in the rankings. The presence of running back Adrian Peterson gives the offense a chance even though most of the pieces of last season’s offense need replacing. Bomar struggled last year, but Oklahoma was still able to win eight games despite playing the toughest schedule in the nation. That raises hope for 2006 as the offense really can’t get much worse, especially with Peterson coming back this season 100 percent healthy after spending a lot of time on the sidelines a year ago. The defense has to, and probably will, carry this team early for the Sooners to have any chance of winning the Big XII South. Texas is obviously in the way once again, but the Longhorns are also taking a bit of a step back.

Returning starters on offense – 4 With the loss of Bomar, quarterback-turned-receiver-turned-QB Paul Thompson will need to assert himself behind center. He will start the season opener for the second straight season after turning in a below-average performance against TCU last year. With Peterson in the backfield, he should take some of the pressure off. The problem for Thompson, who was a projected starter at wide receiver, is that the depth at wide receiver has obviously diminished, which isn’t good considering the lack of experience to begin with. The other big concern is on the offensive line, where four starters need to be replaced and all four starters are sophomores. The good news is that everyone has started at least one game, but continuity still needs to be worked on.

Returning starters on defense – 7 The Sooners have been among the top 20 in the nation in total defense in each of head coach Bob Stoops’ seven seasons in Norman. They finished 13th last season and should be one of the best in the country this year. The defense is ranked just behind Texas in the preseason, but there’s no weakness as all three units also rank second. Weakside linebacker Rufus Alexander, the team’s leading returning tackler, is a preseason All-American and is one of five seniors on defense. The defensive line is extremely deep, especially at the end where four players will rotate in and out. The biggest weakness last season was the secondary, as Oklahoma finished 56th in the country in passing defense, but there will be improvements this year as the depth is much better.

Schedule Facing Texas in Dallas will be the toughest test yet again, but this season’s overall schedule is moderate compared to the 2005 version. Last year, Oklahoma faced six teams that finished with at least nine wins, while eight had winning records. Only six bowl teams are on the board this year, which still makes it tough but much more manageable. The toughest non-conference game is a trip to Oregon, who the Sooners defeated in the Holiday Bowl last year. The other three non-conference games are home wins against UAB, Washington, and Middle Tennessee. The rest of the Big XII schedule is not overwhelming, with the toughest games being a home meet against Texas Tech and a road game at Texas A&M. Four of the last five games are away, but that’s certainly better than starting the season that way. North Division favorite Nebraska is off the schedule.

You can bet… There are 24 players on this team with previous starting experience for Oklahoma, which is more than seven in the same period last season. Last year was considered a rebuilding season for the Sooners, but they closed out the season with six wins in their last seven games and gave players a great experience along the way. If Thompson can somehow learn and move the offense, the Sooners can challenge for the National Championship. The Sooners are 4-9-1 ATS against non-conference foes since 2002 and that’s due to heavy line inflation. They were favored by at least 25 points in 10 of those 14 games, so it’s no wonder the record is as bad as it is. With a lackluster season in 2005 and the loss of Bomar, those lines will be much lower, so they’ll be easier to cover this time around.

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