A Sooner Fan's Guide to Week 0

College Football is soon upon us once again. While the Sooners still have one more week to wait to play in Week 1, some games will take place in what is known as “Week 0” in the official kick off for college football. On the surface there may not be any highly notable games to watch, and while you may be somewhat right, it’s always important to see the state of the game with other teams. This weekly guide will give a baseline of some key stories in the college football world to keep an eye out for while the Sooners wait another week to take the field. This edition of the weekly guide will be a little bit shorter, however nonetheless I would love to hear your feedback on this type of content!

Oklahoma preview: Hold out a little longer, and watch the Weather!

I know you're anxious Sooner Nation, we can’t wait to see our team take the travel down to Tulane, and another week after that until Oklahoma plays in the Palace against Western Carolina. For those making the trip out to Tulane, stay weather aware as Tulane is located in New Orleans, which is about to be impacted by Hurricane Ida, so be cautious about any trips down to NOLA.

So, you may be asking what can you do around Norman to show your love for the Sooners? Well, go support other Oklahoma Sports teams! Here is a list of games that Oklahoma will play at home in with various sports.

· Saturday Aug. 28th, Volleyball vs. Lipscomb & Houston 12:00 pm/ 7:00 pm

· Sunday Aug. 29th, Soccer vs Nebraska 1:00 pm

Let’s pack up John Crain Field and the Fieldhouse to show our support for our Sooner Volleyball and Soccer teams!

Another thing you can do is finish up your OU apparel shopping at the Sooner Shop! You and I both know how packed the stadium gets on gamedays, and a shirt you like may not be in your size because others bought it first, why not get your shopping done early to avoid the heavy gameday traffic?

Now, let’s get to what you most likely came for, the preview for Week 0 of college football. While there aren’t many games, here is a couple to look out for.

Nebraska @ Illinois

This is, in my opinion, the game of the week to watch if you are a Sooner fan. Nebraska finished 3-5 last year in a shortened season, while Illinois finished 2-6. One thing to note that is interesting is Illinois beat Nebraska 41-23 last season in Lincoln. I feel though that a combination of new coaches for the Fighting Illini and a lack of a definite receiving core for QB Brandon Peters to throw to will be too much of a hinderance for Illinois to beat Nebraska for a second straight season. The Cornhuskers bring back Adrian Martinez as well as 10 players on the offensive side of the ball who have started at least 5 games in the 2020 season. While Martinez did deal with some injuries last season, I feel he can return to his freshman year form Week 1 and take the win for the Cornhuskers to start the year 1-0. This would be great for Oklahoma, as the more wins their opponents have, the better. This not only boosts their resume but creates much more excitement around the game in the future, even if it is at 11 am.

Best case scenario: Nebraska wins

Prediction: Nebraska wins 31-23

There is one more game that Sooner fans may want to look at after the conclusion of the Nebraska vs. Illinois game.

UCLA vs Hawaii

While this game is not important in the grand scheme of things to Oklahoma, former Sooner Zacchaeus McKinney should see a lot more playing time over with the Rainbow Warriors. While he is number 2 on the depth chart in the defensive end position, expect him to rotate in some packages and be a key player on the end of the line.

Conclusion:

The University of Oklahoma will be in its first academic week of the fall semester, Campus Corner will be busy with college students once again, and sports will pick up in full swing once again. If you are itching to see our players in Crimson and Cream take the field, check out our volleyball and soccer teams! Other than that, you’ll be stuck with watching some other colleges duke it out on the gridiron on August 28th. Boomer Sooner!