Many Americans in the modern digital age keep up with friends via a group text in their social media application of choice.

My friends and I are no different.

While the banter may often be frivolous, it’s through those constant conversations that friendships can be maintained in a more, somewhat ironically, pure day-to-day form.

For instance, while planning our potential fantasy football draft in Arkansas, we created odds on most likely to find themselves in the clutches of the Fayetteville Police Department (I came in a respectable third at 6/1). It’s the same type of silly dialogue that would have happened at a high school lunch while topping off a full bottle of Van’s barbecue sauce.

One such recent conversation was seemingly designed for sports talk radio in a Thunder-less Oklahoma May, when a friend volleyed a question for discussion:

“If you could bring four former Sooners to the 2017 team, who would you choose?”

Immediately a member chimes in with a concern.

“Are we assuming they’re equally as dominant in 2017 as they were in their era?”

The context of each former player’s specific period is impossible to accurately translate across generations and is a reasonable concern to bring up before one delves into such a topic willy-nilly.

After all, Roy Williams was the best safety in America in 2001, but he is probably a linebacker in 2017.

So the original inquirer elaborated:

“Let’s assume they have their exact skill-set. If you think it wouldn’t translate well, then move on.”

“That might make an argument for Mixon over AD,” someone chirps.

“AD with this o-line, though,” a new party is heard from, “You’d have to make the adjustment.”

“But then you take the ball out of Baker’s hands!”

In reality, nobody’s wrong.

These are impossible hypotheticals that can never be realized.

But it sure is fun to do and people can be bullish in their opinions.

One of my best friends on this planet, the most pure, generous, devout religious person I know, once said about our particular group of friends, “We can talk about religion or politics civilly all night, but it can get ruthless real quick if we’re debating who is the best quarterback of all time.” (It’s John Elway, by the way.)

That’s the beauty of sports and debate.

It burns a passion so bright it can often kindle friendships.

In that spirit, here is my offering of four players from Oklahoma football’s history I believe would best improve their 2017 national championship chances.

The veracity with which the late Lee Roy Selmon is declared the greatest Sooner of all time is so strong, the belief is steadfastly held by those who never even saw him play.

One of the major concerns for Oklahoma in 2017 is their defensive line. What better way to upgrade than by adding someone that Barry Switzer called the best player he ever coached. Selmon's bust resides in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Forget the next three names on this list, adding the defensive lineman to this Sooner front could be enough to make them national championship favorites. After all, it's no coincidence that two of OU's seven national championships came in Selmon's junior and senior seasons.

Selmon's versatility in both the 4-3 as a defensive tackle and 3-4 as a defensive end is just an added bonus for the most heralded player in Sooner history.

It's simple.

The Lombardi and Outland Award winner is too good to pass up in any year, but especially when Oklahoma is in need of bodies along the defensive front.

It's enticing to add another pass-rusher opposite Ogbo Okoronkwo, but adding a 4-3 defensive end like Dan Cody does not provide the same value of upgrade as Brian Bosworth would in the middle of the Sooner defense - especially with the improved pressure that would surely come with Selmon in the trenches.

First-team All-Big 12 linebacker Jordan Evans vacates the inside linebacker position, which is likely to be filled by either a redshirt freshman, Jon-Michael Terry, or a true freshman, Kenneth Murray.

While both Terry and Murray are receiving rave reviews for their talent, bringing in a two-time Butkus Award winner and two-time consensus All-American would turn a question into an exclamation mark. It's impossible to know how Bosworth would handle the transition to covering more tight ends/receivers in space, but speed is not a question and the former First-team Academic All-American should not have too much trouble adjusting to modern schemes.

In 2016, Oklahoma felt physically overmatched by an Ohio State team that relentlessly wore down the middle of the Sooner defense. Bosworth could force offenses into testing their talented defensive backs.

I also expect my Boz to come complete with all the accoutrement of the 1980s that allowed him to look like Bane at a rave.

This pick is worth it if, for nothing else, Bosworth and Baker Mayfield on the same team is guaranteed fireworks.

As hinted in the intro, this is a difficult decision.

There is a popular conception that running backs are just not as valuable in this day and age; the 2013 Seahawks with Marshawn Lynch are essentially the only Super Bowl team in the last decade with an elite running back leading their offense.

However, that narrative is often wrongly conflated with the college game.

Let's just take a look at some of the tailbacks that have played in recent national title games.

2017: Wayne Gallman, Bo Scarbrough
2016: Derrick Henry, Wayne Gallman
2015: Ezekiel Elliott (246 yards, 4 TD)
2014: Devonta Freeman, Tre Mason
2013: Eddie Lacy, T.J. Yeldon, Theo Riddick
2012: Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy

In college, there is rarely a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, etc. that can handle the responsibility of commanding an offense so efficiently that it doesn't particularly matter which running back is pushed through the revolving door next to them in the backfield. Even Baker Mayfield couldn't overcome the two lowest combined rushing outputs from Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine last year - Houston and Ohio State.

The temptation to bring back Mixon for another year is very real. Not only is his talent extremely rare, it fits into a versatile skill-set that makes him an ideal weapon in Lincoln Riley's offense.

DeMarco Murray is another big, strong back with home run speed and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

So why go with someone who had just one receiving touchdown during his time in Norman?

Well, just like Bubba Moses, there's only one Adrian Peterson.

Peterson was such a dominant force that he immediately ascended atop the college football world as an 18-year-old when he rushed for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2004. The former Rivals.com No. 1 overall player finished second in the Heisman voting - the highest ever by a true freshman. It didn't matter that "All Day" only had 12 receiving yards all year, because why throw it to Peterson when you can just hand it to the 6-foot-1, 220-pound force of nature.

While Peterson would struggle with injuries in his sophomore and junior season, he would still find a way to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons and finish his career as Oklahoma's third all-time leading rusher in just 31 games. In A.D.'s only full year in Norman, the Sooners finished the regular season 12-0, including a 42-3 shellacking of Colorado in the Big 12 title game, before falling to a USC team that would eventually forfeit the national championship due to NCAA violations.

The pressure on a defense to cover a pass-catching running back is tough.

The pressure on a defense to find the right number of guys in the box to contain Peterson behind Oklahoma's offensive line and stop Mayfield at quarterback?

Impossible.

Dede Westbrook became Oklahoma's first Biletnikoff Award winner last season catching passes from Baker Mayfield in Lincoln Riley's offense. During Oklahoma's 10-game winning streak to end the season, Westbrook caught 17 touchdowns and averaged 137 receiving yards. The current Jacksonville Jaguar was able to take the tops off of defenses with his blistering speed and the threat of OU's offensive line and running game meant plenty of one-on-one opportunities.

Replacing his production at wide receiver is paramount to the Sooners' success in 2017 and dipping into their recent trove of explosive pass-catchers to add to a corps led by Jeffery Mead makes sense.

Westbrook wasn't Oklahoma's first Biletnikoff finalist. That honor went to Mark Clayton, who could have very likely won if it wasn't for a Pittsburgh wide receiver by the name of Larry Fitzgerald.

In 2003, Clayton shattered school record by catching 83 passes for 1,425 yards and 15 touchdowns in an era that still used the i-formation. No Sooner receiver before Clayton ever had more than 66 receptions, 1,034 yards, or seven touchdowns in a single season. The Arlington (Texas) Sam Houston product became a security blanket for Heisman Trophy winner Jason White on third downs with his reliable hands and was a wizard picking up yards after the catch.

Like other great Oklahoma receivers of the Bob Stoops era - like Ryan Broyles and Sterling Shepard - Clayton was a technician in his routes and had a knack for finding holes in opposing defenses. While Broyles and Shepard were capable deep threats on top of their feel for the game, both are just a tick behind the speed possessed by both Westbrook and Clayton, which force defenses to stretch themselves even more thin on the back end - Westbrook ran a 4.38 at 174 pounds at OU's Pro Day, but Clayton was right on his heels with a 4.41 at the NFL Combine carrying 20 extra pounds.

Mark Clayton in his prime would provide Baker Mayfield and Lincoln Riley a complete receiver that can put pressure on every aspect of a defense.