OUInsider Roundtable: How real is the Sooners' 3-0 start?

Conference play is finally here.

The Sooners ripped through conference play, finishing with three straight wins while posting a scoring margin of plus-139. However, this weekend's trip is when the real fun begins.

Brent Venables' squad travels to Cincinnati (2-1) to begin the Big 12 schedule. This game also marks the first Big 12 game for the Bearcats and the first time these two teams have played each other since 2010.

As the Sooners prepare for Saturday's game (11 a.m. Saturday, Fox Sports), the OUInsider staff discusses Dillon Gabriel, the Sooners' non-conference slate and previews the start of conference play:

Jesse Crittenden: Is there anything that hasn’t been impressive? Gabriel leads the Big 12 in nearly every statistical category while ranking first nationally in completion percentage (82.5%). The most impressive thing has arguably been his efficiency, particularly given how aggressive the Sooners have been through the air. Gabriel is sixth in the country in yards per pass attempt (11.3) while ranking second nationally in passing efficiency. He’s also been smart with the ball, recording a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12:1.

There's still a lot of season left, but Gabriel has been one of the country's best players so far.

Bryan Clinton: Aggressiveness in the vertical passing game is something that Sooner fans begged for last season, and they’re certainly getting it from Dillon Gabriel to this point. However, the most impressive thing about that is just how efficient he’s been in the passing game. Gabriel ranks second nationally in passing efficiency (220.40), first in completion percentage (.825), and fourth in points responsible for (72). It simply doesn’t get much better than that, especially when you consider he’s only played in nine of 12 quarters.

Jesse: It’s been interesting to see the Sooners’ struggle a bit to find consistency in the running game, particularly since it was seen as a strength coming into the season. The Sooners are averaging 4.3 yards per carry — good but not great, considering they averaged 5.5 through three weeks last season. The rotations have been interesting, too. Tawee Walker leads the Sooners in rushing yards, touchdowns and carries but only saw six snaps against Cincinnati.

The concern level isn’t high right now, but the Sooners’ running backs need to generate some momentum before the Texas game on Oct. 7.

Bryan: On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m at a four right now. Through three games, we’ve yet to see someone establish themselves as the guy in the backfield, and the only one with an argument to that claim right now might be Tawee Walker. However, I know that the Sooners have been vanilla in the running game and the offensive line is still figuring some things out. Add to that the fact that Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes are still getting up to speed after missing some time with injury, and there's plenty of reasons not to be too concerned. However, this week will tell us a bunch, and if it doesn’t improve, that four could quickly become a six or a seven.

Jesse: It’s an interesting question given how last year began. But the Sooners’ defense has been the main source of intrigue, and there’s a few key stats that show improvement compared to this time last year. For example, last year’s defense surrendered 2.7 yards per carry through three weeks. So far, the Sooners are surrendering just 2.29. Last year, the Sooners forced five turnovers. This year’s team has forced eight. Last year, the Sooners allowed 312 yards per game. This year, it’s 287.

Offensively, Gabriel was also simply better in non-conference play this year compared to last year. The Sooners have shown their depth at wide receiver, too. Players like Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony, Drake Stoops and Nic Anderson have been incredibly effective, and that shouldn't change anytime soon.

I do put stock into the Sooners’ 3-0 start, but this weekend will prove a much stiffer test.

Bryan: Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 167-28 through three games. Two of its wins have come against vastly undermanned opponents, but OU’s 28-11 win over SMU will hold water before too long. However, there’s still plenty to prove after last season’s debacle. After all, Team 128 was 3-0 and coming off a 48-14 beatdown of Nebraska before the wheels came off. There have been some very promising things come out of the non-conference slate though. Oklahoma is beating teams, on average, by 25 points more than they are projected to. As the saying goes, “Good teams win, but great teams cover,” and OU is 3-0 against the spread. So, I’m putting stock into a vast improvement from a season ago, but I’m not quite ready to start calling them a CFP contender.

Jesse: As Venables said on Tuesday, the line of scrimmage will be the most interesting thing to watch. Cincinnati is eighth in rushing offense (235 yards per game), while the Sooners are 15th in rushing defense. The Sooners’ offensive line has surrendered just one sack through three games, while Cincinnati has 10 sacks on the season. I expect this to be a battle up front, though I’m confident the Sooners will win on both sides.

Otherwise, given Cincinnati’s vulnerability through the air, I expect Gabriel to continue his hot start and lead the Sooners to a solid victory to open conference play.

Bryan: Oklahoma’s trip to Nippert Stadium will provide the Sooners their first difficult road test of the season, and they’ll need to be sharp to come back from Ohio with a victory. While the Bearcats just lost to Miami (OH), they’ve got playmakers in the right positions to play spoiler this weekend. However, I truly believe that this version of Oklahoma will be ready for that test. OU was 1-3 in true Big 12 road games last season, and I’m sure they’ve heard about that all offseason. With as electric as they’ve been thus far, I expect the Sooners to go on the road and look impressive this week. While Cincinnati will be tough on the line of scrimmage, I believe that Gabriel will continue to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, and his performance this week is going to start having folks wonder when he will be a part of the same conversations that involve Bo Nix, Shedeur Sanders, Sam Hartman, and Caleb Williams.