We're just a few days away from Oklahoma's season opener against Temple on Friday.

It's prediction time.

I did my first predictions column before last season and found it helpful to verbalize my own expectations for the team. Hopefully you find them entertaining to read, too. So I thought I'd do it again before the Sooners embark on a new journey.

There's so many ways this season could shake out and so many unknowns ahead of the Sooners in the SEC that it almost feels fruitless to try to make predictions. But I've decided to take a stab at some.

Here are some things I'm predicting for Oklahoma in 2024:

In some ways this would be a massive statistical jump for Sawchuk. He has 849 career rushing yards through his first two seasons.

But this year could obviously be different. This'll be the first time Sawchuk is the clear-cut starter at running back. And glancing at his numbers to end last season, hitting 1,200 yards this season certainly isn't an impossible task.

He rushed for 617 yards and six touchdowns over the final five games, averaging 123.4 yards per game and nearly 7.2 yards per carry. Carrying those averages over a full 12-game season, Sawchuk would've finished with nearly 1,500 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

Sawchuk hitting this bench mark comes down to two questions: How much do the other running backs cut into Sawchuk's workload? And how much does Seth Littrell commit to running the ball?

Maybe Jovantae Barnes, Kalib Hicks or Taylor Tatum steal some of the workload. But if Sawchuk picks up where he left off last season, he could become just the second OU player to reach 1,300 yards since 2015.

It's a little remarkable that Stutsman wasn't a finalist for the nation's best linebacker award in either of the last two seasons. In 2022, Stutsman had 125 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss. Last season, he finished with 104 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and three sacks despite missing nearly two games.

But with the move to the SEC comes a greater spotlight for Stutsman and the Sooners. He's entering his fourth season and will be a key name for an OU team that'll constantly be on the national spotlight as fans monitor their first season in the SEC. He's already been named to the Butkus Award watchlist.

If the Sooners can stay afloat in the SEC, Stutsman stays healthy and the defense posts solid numbers, there's no reason to think Stutsman won't heavily be in the mix for the award. If he wins, he'll become the first Sooner to win the award since Teddy Lehman did it in 2003.

Last season proved just how successful the slot receiver can be at Oklahoma. Drake Stoops led the team in receptions (84), yards (962) and tied for first in touchdowns (10).

Burks lands at Oklahoma as a turbo-charged version of Stoops, and his chemistry with Jackson Arnold was apparent early in the spring. Burks showed his potential at Purdue when he caught 49 passes, and he walks in the door as the starter in the slot at Oklahoma.

Burks can make plays down the field, but he's likely to establish himself as a safety blanket in the short and medium parts of the field. That could be particularly useful for Arnold, a true sophomore, and an offensive line that's largely brand new.

The Sooners' wide receiver group is deep, and there will be a lot of mouths to feed. But Burks will become the No. 1 target for this offense.

The Sooners' defense played 970 snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus. Only three players (Woodi Washington, Billy Bowman, Stutsman) logged 600 snaps or more.

It'd be quite the jump for Bowen to play that many snaps. That's how confident I am that he'll play a big role for OU's defense this season.

Bowen was just one of two freshmen to play in every game for OU last season, playing 363 snaps. He played the 13th-most snaps on the defense despite dealing with injuries over the second half of the year.

I'm confident he'll start at safety next to Bowman. And he'll likely be the Sooners' starting punt returner, giving him even more time on the field.

Last year, I predicted he'd play 450 snaps and he fell just short. But I'm confident he'll eclipse 600 and finish in the top five for most snaps on the defense.

It's pretty rare that two true freshmen defensive linemen are in line for substantial roles, particularly at the same time, but that's how things have shaken out for Jackson and Stone.

Part of it is their natural talent. They both impressed during the spring and added substantial weight and size during the offseason. But the other part is that the playing time is there. Five different defensive tackles logged at least 300 snaps for OU last season, and four of them are no longer on the team.

That means the opportunity is there for both of them. Damonic Williams and Da'Jon Terry are the veteran leaders, but outside of them, the freshmen duo will mostly be competing with Gracen Halton, Ashton Sanders and Davon Sears for snaps.

It's almost a given that they combine for 500 snaps. I'll go a step further — I think Jackson will start a game at some point.

Nothing about this season is going to be easy. Oklahoma has one of the toughest schedules in the country, and it's filled almost entirely with teams that OU has no familiarity with.

The Sooners finished eighth in the SEC preseason poll — I officially picked them seventh — and 16th in the AP Poll. They'll play six teams that are ranked higher than them in both polls. OU is relying on a new offensive line and a true sophomore quarterback who has one career start.

But I'm confident OU can do more than stay afloat. They'll prove they belong, and they'll be more than competitive. They'll stumble a few times — I'm not gonna pick the losses — but they'll snag some statement wins, too.

Nine wins doesn't feel like quote-unquote "successful" season when it comes to Oklahoma's usual standard. But hitting that mark this year would be more than successful given the challenges ahead of them.

I'm confident they'll win nine games, keeping them just outside the SEC title game but certainly in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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