Editor's Note: This is the latest installment of my column series, The Church of Crimson, that runs on most Sundays. With this series, I typically focus on one big idea and sometimes follow it up with one or two smaller notes.

The college football season has already started, but for Oklahoma and the vast majority of teams, it begins this week.

The Sooners kickoff the 2023 season on Sept. 2 with a home game against Arkansas State at 11 a.m. There’s no shortage of storylines for the Sooners — it’s Year 2 of the Brent Venables era, the team is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 6-7 campaign in 2022, and it’s their final year in the Big 12.

This could easily be one of the more significant seasons in recent memory for OU.

With the 2023 campaign just a few days away, here are a few final predictions for how things shake out for the Sooners:

The Sooners’ offense, while inconsistent at times, was not the main problem last year. The Sooners scored 35 points against Baylor, 34 against Kansas State and 48 against Texas Tech. They lost all of those games, but the offense did enough to win.

Jeff Lebby’s offense finished fifth in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 32.8 points per game. Yes the Sooners are without Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis, Eric Gray, Wanya Morris and Anton Harrison, but the team has the players to replace them. Plus, it’s the second year in Lebby’s system for key players like Jalil Farooq, Drake Stoops, Jovantae Barnes, Gavin Sawchuk and the offensive line. And it’s hard to overstate the importance of having fifth-year senior Dillon Gabriel under center.

The offense has things it needs to fix in 2023 — mainly, the struggles with tempo — but the Sooners have the pieces to be a truly explosive offense.

On the surface, this isn’t that impressive. But when you factor in the context of last season, it’d be a huge improvement.

Last season, Venables’ defense finished 122nd in total defense (461 yards allowed per game) and 99th in scoring defense (30 points allowed per game). It was particularly bad in Big 12 play — the Sooners gave up 38 points or more in six of their nine conference games.

The goal for the Sooners should be to have an average defense. From where they were last year, it would be a significant improvement. And it’s more than attainable.

It’s important to keep in mind that this is an OU program that is still in the midst of building towards Venables’ vision. But I’m optimistic that the Sooners have added transfer portal pieces that will make significant impacts. A few of the true freshmen should really help, too. If the offense can be more consistent in 2023, an average defense is all the Sooners should need to make a conference title run.

The main point, however, is that the Sooners’ defense desperately needs to show signs of improvement before entering the SEC. I believe they will.

Whether Bowen gets the starting nod in Week 1, earns it later or stays as a reserve, the true freshman is going to play a lot.

For context, only 10 defensive players logged over 450 snaps in 2022.

Bowen has spent times at five different positions during preseason practices, indicating the coaching staff’s urgency to find snaps for the freshman. But my gut says he settles in at safety and makes a huge impact there alongside Billy Bowman and Reggie Pearson.

Farooq caught 37 passes for 466 yards and five touchdowns in his sophomore campaign. In 2023, he'll raise his play to another level.

Between Mims, Willis, Eric Gray and Theo Wease, the Sooners are losing 145 receptions from a year ago. That production has to go somewhere, and I believe a decent chunk will go to Farooq.

Mims led the team in receptions in 2022 with 54. I believe Farooq will produce at a similar level.

Gray put up one of the best individual seasons as an OU running back last year, finishing with 213 carries for 1,366 rushing yards. With how much Lebby likes to run the ball, the Sooners are still going to rack up rushing yards even without Gray.

Even in Gray’s shadow, Barnes still posted 519 rushing yards last year, and he’s about to see a lot more work. He saw 27 carries in the Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State, while Sawchuk saw 15.

While it’s unclear how the carries shake out early in the season — how much does Marcus Major or any other running back see the field? — but at some point, I expect Barnes and Sawchuk to develop into a 1A/1B dynamic that allows Lebby to rely even more heavily on the running game. And as a result, both running backs are allowed to flourish.

Even without Gray, I believe the Sooners’ running game can be even better than last year.

Again, this would represent a significant turnaround from a year ago. But 10 wins should be the goal for the Sooners, because the path is there.

While SMU should have a high-powered offense in 2023, the Sooners don’t have a marque non-conference game. In Big 12 play, the Sooners don’t play Kansas State (a definite Big 12 contender), Baylor or Texas Tech. The Sooners' road games include Tulsa, Cincinnati, BYU, Oklahoma State and Kansas.

That doesn’t mean it’s all going to be easy. The Oklahoma State game will feature an incredibly hostile crowd. Kansas could finish with the Big 12’s best offense if it stays healthy. Texas is the favorite to win the Big 12.

But outside of the Longhorns, the Sooners have the most talented roster on paper and an easier-than-normal schedule. And Venables knows the Sooners need to bounce back from last season with the SEC move on the horizon.

I’m planting my flag now. Despite maybe getting tripped up once or twice, the Sooners will finish the regular season with 10 wins and return to the Big 12 title game.