The Football Brainiacs

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You don’t need me to tell you it has been less than a stellar year for OU Football and as such, I’m expecting that to be reflected in the Sooners’ All-Big 12 awards to be announced this week. Outside of his first year in Norman, Bob Stoops has never placed fewer than four players on an All-Big 12 first team. That distinction, however, has occurred three of the last five years (2009, 2012 & 2013). So things don’t exactly appear to be trending in the right direction — as evidenced on the field and in the W/L column this year I’d argue — as many of us would prefer them to be. Your number of All-Big 12 first teamers alone doesn’t necessarily equate to more wins than losses, nor does it alone represent the level of talent within your respective program, but there’s definitely an argument to be made that there’s some correlation between them all.

But even in spite of that, I thought it might make for some good conversation to go ahead and throw out some predictions as to where I think some of the OU guys could finish. So here is what I’m predicting along with some general thoughts on why I had guys where I do.

Offensive Freshman of the Year: RB Samaje Perine – Maybe I’m forgetting someone, but I don’t see how this could possibly go to anyone else.

Special Teams Player of the Year: I would have said Alex Ross was a legit candidate for this a couple weeks ago, but after Saturday I think this is Tyreek Hill’s award to lose.

1st team

WR Sterling Shepard – I’m not nearly as confident in this pick as I would have been several weeks ago. I think, because of the injury, there is a decent chance he might get dropped down to the second team. They typically place three WRs on the first team, but you know Kevin White and Tyler Lockett are guaranteed spots. So that leaves just one spot available for Shepard, or Corey Coleman, or Josh Doctson, or John Harris.

FB Aaron Ripkowski – They don’t always recognize the fullback spot, but I think Rip has been so good all year, has a great story, and capped things off in style on Saturday that he deservedly earns this spot.

RB Samaje Perine – Again, no-brainer here.

OL Tyrus Thompson or Daryl Williams – It’s one or the other for me, hence the ‘or’, but it won’t be both. But I think the OU offensive line has played well enough, at times, that somebody has to have earned a spot and I don’t feel like that somebody is one of OU’s interior guys.

LB Eric Striker – I think based on expectations coming into the year it’s fair to say Striker’s 2014 season was a bit of a disappointment. Part of that is on the coaches and their decision to drop him into coverage far too frequently for some of us fans, but he also just didn’t appear to make that leap so many of us were expecting after a dominating performance in the Sugar Bowl. That said, it was still a pretty darn good season — just not the great one we were expecting — and he has more than enough well-deserved name recognition to earn a first team spot. Well, that, and this league doesn’t exactly have a glut of quality LBs.

2nd team

OL Daryl Williams or Tyrus Thompson – See above.

DT Jordan Phillips – I think another guy, like Striker, who had a pretty good year but not quite the season we thought he might have. And I think that costs him a first team spot.

LB Dom Alexander – Continues to rack up tackles, but I’m always humored by those who continually point to that as the indicator he’s a quality LB. But this isn’t about my personal opinion. I think he’s a name the voters recognize — he was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2013 — and as I said before, this isn’t a league full of great LBs.

DL Chuka Ndulue – Senior, personable, good with the media, and arguably had the best season for an OU defensive lineman. I think he gets rewarded with a spot here.

TE Blake Bell – Fairly certain he doesn’t have the stats to warrant this….but he’s Blake Bell. Can’t you just see everyone voting for him? I can. And that’s not meant as a shot. For his first year at a brand new position, and one VERY different from where he played previously, he had a heck of a year. Hell, if he had another one or two years of eligibility maybe he develops into a dominant TE.

CB Zack Sanchez – Had some ups-and-downs, but overall another solid year.

KR Alex Ross – I had planned to put Ross on the first team even though things have somewhat fallen off of late in terms of big returns, but the Big 12 lists this as a KR/PR spot and with that in mind, in my opinion, this will again go to Hill.

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Alright, those are my predictions. Let me know what you think I got right and/or wrong. And share your predictions/thoughts in the comments section.