The no. 7 Oklahoma Sooners could have a tricky season opener on their hands when they entertain the Florida Atlantic Owls. Game time is set for noon EST on Saturday, September 1 at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The game will be televised nationally on Fox.
If we look at the Week 1 college football odds, the Sooners are 20.5-point favorites over FAU. However, that number has dropped some after Oklahoma opened at -24. The over/under for the game is set at 68 points.
Oklahoma is fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Sooners were 12-1 last until they lost a thrilling double-overtime game against Georgia in the national semifinal. Head coach Lincoln Riley has gone on record saying that he thinks this year’s team could be more talented than they were last season. Of course, more talent doesn’t always equal more success, especially when Oklahoma has to replace reigning Heisman winner Baker Mayfield.
Florida Atlantic, as you may know, is coached by the infamous Lane Kiffin. After a 1-3 start last season, the Owls ran the table in Conference USA. They went on to win both the conference title game and the Boca Raton Bowl to finish 11-3 in Kiffin’s first season at FAU. Considering the Owls were 3-9 the previous season, that’s an incredible turnaround that Kiffin orchestrated. Kiffin now has his sights set on making Florida Atlantic a top-25 team.
With the Sooners having national championship aspirations this year, they certainly can’t afford to lose to FAU in their opener. Meanwhile, you know Kiffin has been looking forward to the opportunity to get a crack at a top-10 team and potentially pulling off a massive upset on national TV. This figures to be a fascinating game with plenty of interesting storylines.
I’ll be honest, the Lane Kiffin kool-aid is too good not to drink. I’m not saying Florida Atlantic is going to pull off the shocker, but there’s a lot to like about the Owls. They have a lot coming back, and I think they can keep this game close. With a 20.5-point cushion, I’ll lean toward Florida Atlantic and the points.
The biggest question Kiffin has to answer is who will replace Jason Driskel at quarterback. De’Andre Johnson, a former Florida State transfer, is one option. He has a good pedigree despite a lack of game action. The same is true for redshirt freshman Chris Robinson, a four-star recruit who initially went to Oklahoma before he got kicked off the team. Despite a lack of experience, either would make a fine option under center.
Perhaps more importantly, FAU should provide either quarterback with plenty of support. Running back Devin Singletary is one of the best-kept secrets in college football after running for 1,920 yards and 32 touchdowns last year. Willie Wright and West Virginia transfer Jovon Durante also give the Owls two receivers who should be able to hold their own against any team in the country.
It’s also worth noting that the Oklahoma defense could be vulnerable. The Sooners weren’t exactly stout defensively last year, especially against the pass. With a young secondary and a defensive line that could be light on pass rushers, Oklahoma may struggle to defend the pass. If Singletary can establish a viable rushing attack for the Owls, the FAU offense can remain balanced and potentially do some damage against the Oklahoma defense.
Of course, it’s usually on the offensive side of the ball where the Sooners excel. Mayfield will be replaced by Kyler Murray, who backed up the Heisman winner last year after transferring from Texas A&M. Murray is an explosive runner who also has exceptional arm talent. Naturally, the Sooners are also stacked at wide receiver and have two standout rushers in Rodney Anderson and Trey Sermon, so this isn’t all about Murray. That being said, Murray is still unproven as a starter, so he still needs to show that he can lead the offense and avoid mistakes.
Meanwhile, the FAU defense is no pushover, and they’re not going to make it easy on Murray and the Sooners. The Owls return key playmakers on all three levels of a defense that was great at creating takeaways last year. With a lot of experience coming back, the FAU defense should feel comfortable being aggressive with blitzes, forcing Murray to make quick decisions. If the Owls can keep forcing turnovers like they did a year ago, they can definitely put a scare in Oklahoma.
The one concern I have with FAU is out terrible they looked in their season opener last year, losing 42-19 to Navy. But they bounced back the following week and kept the scoreline respectable against a top-10 Wisconsin team. That game tells me that Florida Atlantic can keep up talent-wise with power conference teams. I think Oklahoma will find a way to win. But Florida Atlantic won’t get blown out and they will at least beat the spread.