Then, after the Sooners finished the '99 season with a 7-5 record (including a loss to Ole Miss in the Independence Bowl in his first year in Norman), Stoops and the Sooners took the college football world by storm last season, finishing with a remarkable 13-0 record that included wins over Texas, Kansas State (twice and both away from home), Nebraska, Texas A&M and Florida State to win the national championship.

Sooners at a glance

2001 schedule Aug. 25 vs. North Carolina Sept. 1 at Air Force Sept. 8 vs. North Texas Sept. 15 vs. Tulsa Sept. 29 vs. Kansas State Oct. 6 at Texas Oct. 13 at Kansas Oct. 20 vs. Baylor Oct. 27 at Nebraska Nov. 10 vs. Texas A&M Nov. 17 at Texas Tech Nov. 24 vs. Oklahoma State 2000 results (13-0, 9-0 Big 12) UTEP W 55-14 Arkansas St. W 45-7 Rice W 42-14 Kansas W 34-16 at Texas W 63-14 at Kansas St. W 41-31 Nebraska W 31-14 at Baylor W 56-7 at Texas A&M W 35-31 Texas Tech W 27-13 at Oklahoma St. W 12-7 Kansas State W 27-24 vs. Florida St. W 13-2

I was at the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 7 with the entire College GameDay crew on ESPN Radio when the Sooners destroyed Texas 63-14. In my opinion, this was the game that propelled the Sooners through the rest of the campaign. Remember, they went into that game as the underdog. The confidence they gained from the drubbing of Texas was invaluable the next week when they traveled to Manhattan to face Kansas State. At the time, K-State was 6-0. Once again, the underdog Sooners prevailed. The following week, when they hosted Nebraska, the Sooners were again an underdog. This time, after falling behind 14-0, they posted 31 unanswered points to roll to a relatively easy victory. And guess what, they were underdogs again when they beat Florida State 13-2 in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship. As Chris Berman always tells us, "That's why they play the games." Perception and reality can often prove to be two completely different things.

OFFENSE
With record-setting QB Josh Heupel lost to graduation and the NFL, the Sooners enter the 2001 season with their share of doubters and skeptics as to whether they can even capture the Big 12 South, let alone effectively defend their national championship.

Adequately replacing Heupel is the challenge for Stoops and his outstanding staff. Entering fall practice, neither junior Nate Hybl nor sophomore Jason White have been able to seize control of the Sooner offense. Hybl, who began his college career at Georgia where he redshirted in '98, and the 6-2, 220-pound White each bring mobility and a stronger arm to the OU attack. But the leadership, presence, decision-making and other intangibles that allowed Heupel to perform at such a high level can't be minimized. As a collegiate signal caller, I viewed him as a more mobile version of former Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, who led the Gators to a national championship.

Whether it's Hybl or White, the new signal caller will benefit from a talented and extremely deep receiving corps that returns intact. The lone senior is Josh Norman, at his best in the open field after the reception. His 15.1-yard average led the OU wideouts. Antwone Savage, who paced the Sooners with 48 catches last season, is just a junior, as are Curtis Fagan (40 catches), Andre Woolfolk (39) and Damian Mackey (26). Sophomore Quentin Morgan and redshirt freshmen Will Peoples and Mark Clayton all display potential. Except for Mackey and Clayton, each of these receivers checks in at 6 feet or taller -- a real plus.

Another key weapon is junior TE Trent Smith. His pass-receiving effort against Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game was a real attention-getter. Highly regarded sophomore Lance Donley also figures to see significant playing time.

In the backfield, the Sooners strike offensive balance with versatile 5-7, 193-pound junior Quentin Griffin, who not only rushed for 846 yards and scored 16 TDs but also finished as the second-leading receiver with 45 catches. Renaldo Works is a proven performer behind Griffin, but the player to watch based on his effort in the spring figures to be sophomore Jerad Estus. The former prep track star is explosive out of the blocks, capable of hitting the home run from any point on the field.

Even though senior LT Frank Romero ranks as one of the top players at his position in the country, the Sooners' offensive line is a source of some concern heading into fall practice. Of note, the center and RT spots will be watched closely. Currently penciled in at those spots are junior Josh Smith and redshirt freshman Wes Sims. Versatile senior Howard Duncan is slated to open at LG but could also be a factor in the pivot.

DEFENSE
Defensively, three of the top four tacklers from last season return, although there were some key graduation losses along the defensive line. The Sooners must also adequately replace MLB Torrance Marshall. Last year, Marshall's overall productivity was outstanding, and he came through with game-changing plays in the marquee matchups.

Up front, senior LDE Cory Heinecke is the major headliner; plus, there's plenty of experience at DT with senior Barry Holleyman and sophomore Kory Klein, who finished last season with three sacks and 10 QB hurries. Sophomore Dan Cody, who saw action at just about every position on both offense and defense during his prep career, takes over as the starter at RDE. As a freshman last year, Cody recorded a pair of sacks. Jimmy Wilkerson is currently listed as a backup at MLB, but you could see the sophomore move to a DE spot in the fall. Last year, the athletically gifted 6-4, 235-pounder recorded five tackles behind the line of scrimmage and one sack. Wilkerson has great upside and presents a number of options for Stoops and the defensive staff.

While Marshall's loss at MLB is huge, the Sooners have standout senior Rocky Calmus to help raise the performance of every player on defense. Last year, the 6-2, 235-pounder led OU with 125 tackles (including 17 stops behind the line), four sacks, seven pass deflections, eight hurries and two forced fumbles. How's that for production! Sophomore Teddy Lehman takes over at MLB, with senior Brandon Moore coming off the injury list to be the strongside starter.

The defensive backfield is keyed by a pair of standouts in sophomore RCB Derrick Strait and junior SS Roy Williams. Last season, Williams finished third on the OU defense with 94 stops, including four sacks and six QB hurries; Strait broke up 14 passes, had a pair of interceptions and was fourth on the tackle chart. Redshirt freshman Antonio Perkins figures to open at LCB, with sophomore Brandon Everage at FS. Another possible scenario has wideout Andre Woolfolk pushing for playing time at the CB spot opposite Strait. In high school, Woolfolk totaled 19 career interceptions.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The kicking game is in excellent shape. Senior Tim Duncan returns to handle the kicking duties, while senior punter Jeff Ferguson is coming off an excellent season. The key graduation loss is that of DB/return man J.T. Thatcher. In addition to leading the Sooners with eight interceptions, he also consistently set Heupel and company up with good field position. Thatcher returned 38 punts for a 15.8-yard average, while averaging 24.0 yards per kickoff return. This season, Savage (19.3-yard average last season) and Mackey (22.7-yard average) will handle the kickoff-return duties and have proven to be more than adequate. But the punt-return situation remains a question mark heading into the fall. Currently, DBs Everage and Perkins are being penciled in as punt returners.

Overview: Stoops and his staff have done a remarkable job in just two full seasons in Norman. After winning the national championship so early on in his tenure, the challenge now for Stoops is to maintain that level of excellence. With such a competitive drive to be the best, Stoops has translated that approach to every member of the OU squad. While the graduation losses weren't significant in terms of numbers, particularly on offense, replacing Heupel's intangibles at QB will be incredibly difficult. Let's not forget what a great job he did directing the Sooners' attack.

Defensively, Marshall's ability to come through with the impact play at MLB in the big games was pivotal. And then there's the loss of Thatcher, who excelled as a return man. Combine this with a difficult schedule and you can see why remaining in the national-championship hunt will be one tall order. Now, instead of being the underdog or taking the college football world by storm, the Sooners will be the hunted.