Chris Dufresne’s presesaon college football Top 25: No. 12 Oklahoma

The Times’ Chris Dufresne unveils his preseason college football top 25, one day (and team) at a time.

No. 12 Oklahoma

We do not normally permit program Mulligans and consider it an ethical breach when someone tries to “Tommy Toewedge” a ball into the end zone from one inch out.

There’s a 30% chance even the Big Ten officials working Iowa-Indiana last year wouldn’t allow that.

Our rule ever since Nick Saban insisted he was staying with the Miami Dolphins before bolting to Alabama: Play it where he lies.

Yet, by the power invested in us, Oklahoma is hereby granted an exception — otherwise the 2009 season makes no sense.

Someone watching the NFL draft without seeing the season would have thought it must have been some national title parade in Norman.

Three of the top four picks were Oklahoma players, with quarterback Sam Bradford going to St. Louis at No. 1, Tampa Bay taking defensive tackle Gerald McCoy at No. 3, and offensive tackle Trent Williams going No. 4 to Washington.

Another Sooner was picked No. 21 overall when Cincinnati selected tight end Jermaine Gresham.

To think Oklahoma lost five games with those guys, well, surely the coach who got fired caught on at junior college somewhere.

Sometimes, though, there are extenuating circumstances.

When Oklahoma won the national title in 2000, in Bob Stoops’ second season, the Sooners had nary an injury to a significant player. Last year, though, the barn caved in, and the battered-body count was ridiculous.

Gresham was lost before the season started. Bradford, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, injured his shoulder in an opening loss to Brigham Young, injured it again against Texas, and was done. The Sooners had 10 different starters on the offensive line.

It got so bad they had to move a tight end to tackle and the tackle — Williams — to center.

To borrow from the old “Hee Haw” refrain: If it weren’t for bad luck, they’d have no luck at all.

“I didn’t go to Vegas after the season, I know that,” Stoops quipped this summer.

What doesn’t kill you, though, makes you a national title contender.

“We’re in a lot different situation now,” Stoops says. “You’ve got to believe that could never happen again.”

The benefit from last year is that a lot of backups got playing time, and quarterback Landry Jones didn’t have to wait for Bradford to leave to get his shot. Jones was thrown into the Sooners soup as a redshirt freshman and, after some shaky moments, finished with 3,198 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.

Running back DeMarco Murray’s production fell from 1,002 rushing yards in 2008 to 705 last year, but he should have a dominant senior year behind a cohesive offensive line. Ryan Broyles is a premier wide receiver and the defense is led by end Jeremy Beal.

The schedule is one the fans love but the coach hates, because it’s hard, with home games against Utah State, Florida State and Air Force and a tricky trip to Cincinnati. That’s followed by Texas, which has won four of the last five Red River Shootouts.

It’s not a stretch, though, to think Oklahoma could compete for the Bowl Championship Series title.

And that sure beats last year, which was pretty much a stretcher.

The countdown so far: 25. Washington; 24. Navy; 23. Utah; 22. Houston; 21. Pittsburgh; 20. USC; 19. Stanford; 18. Auburn; 17. Arkansas; 16. Oregon State; 15. Florida State; 14. Georgia Tech; 13. Wisconsin; 12. Oklahoma.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com