Non-conference showdowns between college football powers do two things: provide an early season gauge of where teams stand in the national scheme and give fans something wholesome to chew on before the weather turns cold and championships are decided.
Ohio State takes its turn at filling that void in mid-September, when it travels to Norman, Oklahoma, for a primetime matchup with the Sooners and do-everything quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Oklahoma won the Big 12 in 2015 and stepped past an ugly loss to Texas in the Red River Shootout to earn a College Football Playoff berth. Mayfield lost his favorite weapon on the outside to graduation (Sterling Shepard), but returns with plenty of pieces to lead the offense for coach Bob Stoops.
The start of the college football season is another week closer, so let's take a little bit longer look at what they Buckeyes will get into at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium when their young roster experiences its first road game of 2016.
Offense
Everything the Sooners do revolves around play-making quarterback Baker Mayfield. He stole the starting job from Trevor Knight and never looked back, putting together a terrific 2015 campaign that ended with a fourth-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Mayfield has such a stranglehold on the starting job that Knight transferred to Texas A&M following the season. Third-stringer Cody Thomas quit football to focus on baseball, so Mayfield has a redshirt freshman (Connor McGinnis) and four-star recruit Austin Kendall as his lone understudies. The quarterback's importance to Oklahoma's 2016 campaign cannot be understated.
A problem, however, is Mayfield's top target in Sterling Shepard now plays for the New York Giants. There is plenty of talent waiting in the wings on Stoops' pass-first offense but presumed No. 1 receiver Dede Westbrook's status is in jeopardy following an arrest for trespassing May 23.
The Sooners lost four starters (and 33 total starts) from last season's offensive line, but Stoops feels comfortable with a pair of junior college players he signed helping to fill the holes. Plus, there are other more than capable bodies readily available with experience to block for running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon.
| Head Coach | Bob Stoops (18th season, 179-46 career record) |
| 2015 Record | 11-2, 8-1 (Won the Big 12) |
| 2015 Postseason | Lost 37-17 to Clemson in Orange Bowl as part of CFP |
| Biggest Losses | WR Sterling Shepard, LB Eric Striker, 4 starters on OL |
| Biggest Returnees | QB Baker Mayfield, RBs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon |
| Summary | If Baker Mayfield stays healthy, Oklahoma is a Playoff contender. |
| Matchup | Sept. 17, 2016: Ohio State at Oklahoma, kickoff 7:30 p.m. |
Perine was stellar in 2015, racking up more than 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per carry in the high-scoring Big 12. He needed to be, because with Mixon's past legal issues (he pleaded guilty to assault in Oct. 2014 and served a yearlong suspension, then made quite the scene at Orange Bowl Media Day when he refused to talk about it) Stoops was under constant scrutiny with how much he used to former No. 1 running back recruit. Mixon played in all 13 games and scored 11 total touchdowns, but it was clear Perine held the lead at running back.
Perine figures to be the guy again alongside Mayfield, but Mixon, Westbrook, Geno Lewis, and tight end Mark Andrews look to be heavily involved. Mayfield's quick decision-making and health are paramount to the offense's success. The dropoff in not only skill but experience behind him is extensive.
Mayfield targeted Shephard an absurd 28.1 percent of the time he took to the air last season, so the wide receiver's production won't easily be replaced. The Sooners have the talent to stay on top of the Big 12, and a backfield of Mayfield, Perine and Mixon are among the nation's best. But the young talent at wide receiver won't get much of a chance to show its abilities if the guy taking snaps is anybody other than the former walk-on turned star.
Oklahoma averaged 43.5 points per game in 2015, fourth-best in the country. Expect more of the same this fall, as long as the Sooners do whatever necessary to keep Mayfield healthy.
Defense
Oklahoma's defense relies on speed more than size to make plays. Stoops likes to rotate linebackers and play with size at nickel to fend off plays in the flat, all while utilizing only three defensive linemen.
A problem facing defensive coordinator Mike Stoops this offseason, though, is finding guys at linebacker capable of putting out the same production as the five no longer in the program. Eric Striker, Dominique Alexander, Frank Shannon, Devante Bond and P.L. Lindley are gone, along with their combined 217.5 tackles, 38 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
Striker is easily the unit's biggest loss in terms of the pass rush. His 19 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks led the team and were good for first and sixth in the conference, respectively.
Oklahoma's secondary is deep with experience and should be able to absorb the loss of do-everything playmaker and ballhawk Zack Sanchez (15 career interceptions), but might be pressed into making plays early as the new linebackers get their bearings. If the Stoops brothers can dial up a formidable pass rush after losing their best options in Striker and defensive end Charles Tapper (10 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks), the group as a whole should be very good.
Oklahoma reloads in a similar way Ohio State does, and Stoops brought in a couple more junior college players at linebacker in addition to five-star Caleb Kelly to fill the holes left behind by Striker and Co.
How well will all the new pieces at linebacker fit early in the season? Ohio State and its young array of offensive playmakers are slated to find out Sept. 17.
Bottom Line
Oklahoma has what it needs both in returning players and recruits to stay atop the Big 12 in 2016. However, if its biggest gun is held out for whatever reason, that can and will drastically change. Mayfield means that much.
Ohio State's overall talent is on par with anyone in the country, it is just inexperienced. That youth will be tested under the lights in Norman. It is matchups like this one that could shape the College Football Playoff picture by season's end, provided each team takes care of business in conference play.
With only four Playoff spots available and five power conferences, the winner of this tilt will gain an edge with the committee in December. The Big 12 was left out of the first Playoff in 2014. Last season, it was the Pac-12. Who is set to be upset this winter?
Games like Ohio State at Oklahoma go a long way to figuring that out.
