soonerdudes

The 2009 Sooners are going to have to play their hearts out on the road in order to make it back to the BCS National Championship Game. OU plays against eight teams who went bowling in 2008, and only two of those games (Tulsa and Oklahoma State) come within the confines of the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where the Sooners are one win away from tying their all-time longest winning streak at 25.

Make the jump to see what will be OU’s six toughest games of the 2009 regular season.

6. (24) BYU, September 5, Dallas. Oklahoma’s season opener comes against a BYU team that finished the 2008 season with a 10-3 record. The Cougars return 7 starters on defense, but lose four out of their five starting offensive lineman as well as their top receiver. BYU laid eggs in their biggest games last season, falling at TCU (32-7) and at Utah (48-28) before losing by ten points to Mike Stoops’ Arizona Wildcats in the Las Vegas Bowl. While some worry about the Sooners’ offensive line being prepared for its first contest against an experienced Cougar defense, I don’t see this one getting too close, especially by the fourth quarter. Threat Level: Guarded

5. Miami, October 3, Miami. Fans of “The U” are talking about a return to prominence following a 7-6 campaign in 2008 and eight returning starters on each side of the ball. The Hurricanes should be battle tested by their fourth game of the season after a brutal opening schedule against Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Luckily for the Sooners, Miami is breaking in a new offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and starting quarterback. And after all, we’re still talking about a team that the Sooners defeated by 38 points just two seasons ago. Threat Level: Guarded

4. (22) Nebraska, November 7, Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are coming into their third season under Head Coach Bo Pelini, who seems to have the program headed in the right direction following the generally disappointing Callahan era. Nebraska finished the 2008 season with a 9-4 record, including a 26-21 win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl and a second-place finish in the Big XII North. Traveling to Lincoln is never something to be taken lightly, but Sooner fans shouldn’t worry too much after last year’s 62-28 beating in which OU didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter. Threat Level: Guarded

3. Kansas, October 24, Lawrence. Last year’s Kansas team almost gave the Sooners a game in Norman when they went into the half only trailing by seven. This year, the game shifts to Lawrence—not generally a difficult atmosphere to play in. The real challenge here is a potential exhale following the Red River Rivalry. Win or lose on Oct. 17, the Sooners will need to be careful not to look past Kansas. Threat Level: Elevated

2. (11) Oklahoma State, November 28, Norman. Who can forget last years Bedlam shootout, where the Sooners pulled away late in the game and hung 61 points on the Cowboys in Stillwater? This time around should be just as much fun, as the Pokes return 13 total starters, including their top three playmakers in QB Zac Robinson, WR Dez Bryant and RB Kendall Hunter. The Cowboys finished last season with a 9-4 record, good for fourth place in the highly competitive Big XII South.We will find out quickly if the 2009 team is for real as they open at home against Georgia. Threat Level: High

1. (2) Texas, October 17, Dallas. The Red River Rivalry has become easily the biggest rivalry in college football. Texas enters the 2009 season as the second-ranked team in the nation and favorites to play Florida in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena. The Longhorns finished the 2008 season with a 12-1 record including a 10-point victory over the Sooners and a 3-point win over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. They return 16 starters, two more than the Sooners. No one on either side of this rivalry is even trying to pretend that this game won’t be epic. Threat Level: Severe