Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Sterling Shepard (3) scores the winning touchdown in double overtime against the Tennessee Volunteers Neyland Stadium. Oklahoma won in double overtime 31-24. Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
It’s the start of something special. The Oklahoma Sooners host the Tennessee Volunteers under the lights in an SEC showdown featuring a pair of top-15 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
The Tennessee Volunteers come to Norman with the No. 1 ranked offense in the country after three games. They also have the No. 3 scoring defense in the nation, creating quite the challenge for the Oklahoma Sooners.
OU is getting healthier at the right time, potentially adding two veterans to their offensive line and big-time pass catchers on the outside.
So, what does that mean for the Oklahoma Sooners this week as they take on the Tennessee Volunteers in week four? Our staff here at Sooners Wire is split on picking the winner.
Here’s a look at this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions!
Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
Oklahoma suffers their first loss of the season, as Tennessee wins a close battle on Owen Field.
OU’s defense has another strong performance, holding the Vols offense to field goals on multiple drives. However, the Sooners’ offense is unable to string enough drives together to put points on the board to get the job done.
Both quarterbacks show flashes of greatness, but Nico Iamaleava has more help at this point in the season than Jackson Arnold does.
OU shows plenty of fight but comes up short. However, one loss to a top-10 team doesn’t doom the College Football Playoff hopes for Oklahoma, with plenty of games left on the schedule to make a statement to the CFP committee.
I believe Tennessee is a playoff-worthy team this season and is a little more balanced than the Sooners are right now.
Tennessee 30, Oklahoma 21
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Let me start this prediction by saying how excited I am for Oklahoma’s future in the SEC. If nothing else, for the quality of the matchups that we will get almost every week, like this one.
Oklahoma and Tennessee are set to kick off each other’s conference slate on Saturday night under the lights in what will be the premiere matchup of the week in college football.
A pair of former five-star QBs are making their fifth start and their first in SEC play. Each team boasts a stout defense led by incredible defensive line play.
Oh, and there’s Josh Heupel’s connection to OU. That’s enough to provide intrigue to the game.
All the storylines aside, Tennessee is simply the better team because it has more stability along the offensive line than Oklahoma. Through three games, the Volunteers have proven to be the more well-rounded team.
However, this is the first game of Brent Venables’ tenure in which the Sooners aren’t the favorite, and they are at home. I am buying into Brent Venables as a head coach and leader. It’s likely that Oklahoma will return five key players from injury: Branson Hickman, Troy Everett, Kendel Dolby, Andrel Anthony, and Nic Anderson, who will help OU upset Tennessee.
Seth Littrell continues to configure this offense to ease his young quarterback into the game. Arnold makes two or three key throws, Nic Anderson scores, Taylor Tatum scores, and we see this Sooners defense force a key fumble and snag a pick while holding Tennessee to just 24 points. Tyler Keltner nails a game-winning kick for OU.
Oklahoma 27, Tennessee 24
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While former five-star quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Nico Iamaleava will garner a lot of attention this week ahead of the top 15 matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and Tennessee Volunteers, it’ll be the defenses that shine on what promises to be an awesome night in Norman, Oklahoma.
Iamaleava and Arnold are incredibly talented, but this is the first start in SEC play for both players. Iamaleava ‘s making the first true road start of his young career. He’s as talented a quarterback as there is in college football, but Josh Heupel hasn’t asked him to be the focal point of the offense yet. There will come a time when he’s lighting teams up, but I don’t expect it to be this week.
Caught in a dog fight because the Sooners’ defense finds a way to slow down Dylan Sampson and the Tennessee rushing attack, Oklahoma is able to get pressure on Iamaleava and make his life uncomfortable.
Oklahoma’s offensive line has a hard time with the Volunteer’s defensive line, led by future top-10 pick James Pearce. However, the return of Branson Hickman and Troy Everett into the lineup helps improve the rushing attack and provides Arnold with just enough time on a few drives to cash in with points.
A touchdown drive in the fourth quarter puts Oklahoma up for good and as we’ve seen each of the last two weeks, the Sooners’ defense comes up with a stop to close out the game.
Sooners 23, Volunteers 20
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Sooners Wire staff predictions for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tennessee Volunteers
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