Oklahoma-Auburn Preview: Sooners On SI Staff Picks

The Sooners On SI Staff predicts this week's game between the Sooners and the Tigers.

Sooners On SI Staff /

John E. Hoover

I don’t see a world where a true freshman QB goes on the road for his first career start with a bunch of regular guys on the offensive line and a bunch of unknown receivers and wins. Auburn is no great shakes here. The quarterback “battle” between Payton Thorn and Hank Brown has been comically bad this season. And Michael Hawkins may very well pump some new life into what’s so far been an historically bad Oklahoma offense. But now Deion Burks is out. The injury bug even got kicker Tyler Keltner, who’s out after an emergency appendectomy. How much worse can it get for Oklahoma? The Auburn defense isn’t good and will be up against it with a stressed-out OU defense. But can the Sooners even score? This week, Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman and the boys get a defensive TD and a safety, but it's just not enough.

Final: Auburn 14, Oklahoma 9

Ryan Chapman 

Two teams enter, both with massive questions at quarterback. Oklahoma at least has had a starter named all week, but Michael Hawkins Jr. is now poised to make his first career start in one of the SEC’s toughest environments. On the other sideline, Auburn can move the ball but both quarterbacks have a feel for the catastrophic, turning the ball over at alarming rates. Predicting what will happen for either offense in this game will be tough, which is why the trust lies in the best unit on the field — Oklahoma’s defense. The Sooners bottled up Tennessee’s excellent rushing attack, and while Auburn is explosive, OU’s defensive line is for real. There should be plenty of mistakes from both teams, but Oklahoma’s defense has shown it can pounce and force the kinds of turnovers the Tigers have committed all year, though the Sooners may still have to escape the plains to avoid an 0-2 start in SEC play. 

Final: Oklahoma 24, Auburn 13

Randall Sweet

After holding former 5-star prospect Nico Iamaleava to less than 200 yards last week, the Sooners' defense should be able to contain whichever Auburn quarterback gets the most time on the field this weekend. In a 24-14 loss to Arkansas last Saturday, the Tigers played both Hank Brown and Payton Thorne, but neither option should be an obstacle for OU's staunch defense. On offense, a quarterback change and some play calling adjustments should be enough to get Seth Littrell's bunch into scoring position a few times against an Auburn team that doesn't have the same level of talent on the defensive line as the Sooners' previous opponent.

Final: Oklahoma 23, Auburn 6

Dekota Gregory 

I've missed the mark two weeks in a row, so trying to avoid a losing streak here, as is OU. I'm playing it safe and hovering around where the experts in Vegas have things. Unlike when the Sooners were in the Big 12, talent alone will rarely prevail for them in the SEC, but on Saturday, it will. Both teams are still trying to figure things out on offense, especially at QB. The Sooners have too much firepower on defense, though, and the team with the most turnovers in all of FBS is going up against an Auburn team that gives the ball away like Oprah. 

Final: Oklahoma 27, Auburn 23

Ross Lovelace

Oklahoma’s defense once again played clean up for the Sooners’ struggling offense — but this time more than ever. It wasn’t just the fact that the offense couldn’t put points on the board. The defense forced two turnovers in Tennessee territory — one inside the five-yard line — and the offense turned it back over on the very first set of downs. It felt like a devastating loss, and it was, but perspective is important here. Oklahoma lost to a Top 5 team with a handful of key guys out with injuries, and the Sooners weren’t that far off. Auburn provides the perfect opportunity to bounce back in Oklahoma’s first true SEC road test. The Tigers should struggle mightily against Oklahoma’s defense in a low scoring affair. If the Sooners can play a clean, turnover-free game, I like their chances. Utilizing the read option and letting Michael Hawkins Jr. settle in by using his feet could open up the passing attack later in the game. The offensive line finally looks healthy, too.

Final: Oklahoma 17, Auburn 6

Bryce McKinnis

The energy within Oklahoma’s locker room can be best described as refreshed. Billy Bowman Jr. says defense is playing at 75 percent of its potential. Michael Hawkins Jr. will start against the Tigers after he made No. 7 Tennessee sweat in the second half of a 25-15 loss to the Volunteers. Let head coach Brent Venables tell it: Saturday was ugly, but “there was some fantastic football, too.” Oklahoma is a 2.5-point favorite against Auburn as of Thursday. Expect the Sooners to cover the spread. This staff will proceed with full confidence in Hawkins, and unlike many newcomers at that position of years past, the freshman from Dallas will have the benefit of playing alongside a productive defense. I imagine that defense will suffocate an Auburn offense that only put up 14 points on Cal and Arkansas. 

Final: Oklahoma 24, Auburn 17