Nov. 1—This OU football season is setting up very much like another Sooner season near and dear to OU hearts.

2015. That’s the year the Sooners’ Big 12 schedule was backloaded. OU reached that November having yet to play Baylor, Texas Christian or OSU, the other three best teams in the conference.

OU was somewhat untested through October that season.

The Sooners had beaten two teams that were ranked 23rd at the time of the game, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Tennessee fell out of The Associated Press poll after losing 31-24 in double overtime to OU and started 3-4; Tennessee didn’t return to the top 25 until finishing No. 22 in the post-bowl voting, having won six straight.

West Virginia fell out of the poll after losing 44-24 to OU. The Mountaineers finished 8-5.

OU lost 24-17 to a Texas team that finished 5-7. The Sooners also struggled to put away Tulsa, winning 52-38.

When November arrived, Baylor was ranked second nationally and was 4-0 in the Big 12, TCU was No. 5 and 5-0, OSU was No. 12 and 5-0, and OU was No. 14 and 4-1.

Six years later, the Sooners reach November 9-0 and ranked fourth, but the road ahead is more treacherous than the road behind. The Sooners’ six Big 12 victims have a combined conference record of 9-22. The Sooners’ three remaining opponents have a combined conference record of 11-4.

OU is off this week, then plays at 14th-ranked Baylor on Nov. 13, hosts Iowa State on Nov. 20 and plays at No. 11 OSU on Nov. 27. Iowa State was No. 22 last week before an upset loss at West Virginia on Saturday.

The Sooners swept November 2015. They won 44-34 at No. 4 Baylor, survived No. 11 TCU 30-29 when Baker Mayfield missed the second half with a concussion and won Bedlam 58-23 in Stillwater over a Cowboy team ranked ninth.

That’s an instructive lesson for these Sooners. OU 2015 clearly was considered the fourth-best Big 12 team entering November. Yet the Sooners emerged with the championship (in those pre-championship game days).

While OSU, Baylor and Iowa State took turns beating each other, the Sooners have avoided playing the cream of the Big 12 crop. That changes after the off week.

OU’s history of success — that 2015 title was the first of six straight conference championships — puts a different perspective on 2021.

But in 2015, the three teams in contention with OU took turns beating each other, but did so in November. OSU beat TCU, TCU beat Baylor, Baylor beat OSU. Plus Texas upset Baylor in a December finale.

Just like in 2015, these Sooners were not great early this season. OU struggled to put away Tulane, Nebraska and West Virginia. They rallied from 21 points down to beat Texas. They beat Kansas State by six and trailed Kansas in the fourth quarter.

But OU hit its stride Saturday against Texas Tech, winning 52-21. Can the Sooners stay on such a track?

Let’s get to the Big 12 rankings:

1. Oklahoma (9-0, 6-0)

The Sooners have won 17 straight games. Seven of those games were by eight points or less. By comparison, the last time OU had a longer winning streak, a 20-gamer, in 2000-01, only four games were by eight points or less.

2. Oklahoma State (7-1, 4-1)

The Cowboys also started at least this fast through eight games in 2017 (7-1), 2015 (8-0 and eventually 10-0), 2013 (7-1), 2011 (8-0 and eventually 10-0) and 2010 (7-1).

3. Baylor (7-1, 4-1)

The Bears play at TCU on Saturday before hosting the Sooners.

4. West Virginia (4-4, 2-3)

The Mountaineers suddenly have arisen, with a commanding win at TCU and the upset of Iowa State. The Mountaineers’ 4-4 record is solid, considering WVU played two legitimate non-conference opponents (Maryland and Virginia Tech) and has yet to play Kansas.

5. Iowa State (5-3, 3-2)

We knew the Cyclones have been slow starters, but we figured ISU had found its rhythm. But the defense, missing star linebacker Mike Rose, was out of sync at West Virginia.

6. Kansas State (5-3, 2-3)

KSU is becoming a coach killer. For the second straight week, the Wildcats win a game, then the defeated coach is out on the street the next day. Texas Tech’s Matt Wells last week, TCU’s Gary Patterson this week.

7. Texas (4-4, 2-3)

The Longhorns led OU, OSU and Baylor each by double digits in the second half of October games. UT lost all three games. And now Texas could be staring at no better than a 6-6 record in Steve Sarkisian’s first season as coach.

8. Texas Tech (5-4, 2-4)

Interim head coach Sonny Cumbie is not last in Big 12 coaching longevity, with the immediate departure of Patterson from TCU.

9. TCU (3-5, 1-4)

I’ll have more on this later in the week, but I’m still stunned at the Sunday news that Patterson is out in Fort Worth. Stunned. Absolutely stunned. Didn’t see it coming. Didn’t think it possible.

10. Kansas (1-7, 0-5)

The Jayhawks are who we thought they are. The 35-23 standoff with the Sooners was a mirage. OSU led KU 38-0 at halftime Saturday night. I assume new KU coach Lance Leopold’s job is safe, but be warned. The Jayhawks play Kansas State on Saturday.