College football 2025 'ifs' list - how contenders come together - ESPN
Twenty-five years ago, Bob Stoops' second Oklahoma team headed into the 2000 season with lukewarm expectations. The Sooners' roster had some solid former blue-chippers, but among their best players were two former juco transfers (quarterback Josh Heupel and linebacker Torrance Marshall) and a small, lowly touted running back (Quentin Griffin). OU was operating its version of the newfangled Air Raid offense, and its secondary was going to be alarmingly young. So, too, was the defensive co-coordinator, a 29-year-old named Brent Venables. The Sooners were ranked 19th in the AP preseason poll as a courtesy, but they hadn't won more than seven games in a season since 1993.
