page_title: 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team
section_title: Preseason
hierarchical_section_title: 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team / Preseason
caption_attribution_description: University of Oklahoma football offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson
context_page_description: The 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 112th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his eighth season as head coach. They played their homes games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a charter member of the Big 12 Conference.
  The season began on a bad note when starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn were kicked off the team for violating NCAA rules when they received payment for work they did not do the day before fall practice started. Paul Thompson, who had not practiced in the quarterback role for nearly a year, was asked to move back to quarterback, which he did.
  Conference play began with a loss to the Texas Longhorns in the annual Red River Rivalry on October 7, and ended with a win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big 12 Championship Game on December 2. The Sooners finished the regular season with an 11–2 record while winning their fourth Big 12 title and their 40th conference title overall.
context_section_description: After the previous year's 8–4 season, the Sooners looked to return to past success in 2006. Standout running back Adrian Peterson came into the season healthy and was also on the Maxwell Award watch list. Star linebacker Rufus Alexander (a Bednarik Award hopeful) returned for his senior campaign as did defensive ends C.J. Ah You, Larry Birdine, and Calvin Thibodeaux (Ah You and Birdine were Ted Hendricks Award hopefuls). Reggie Smith was also named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list.
  Nearly all major sports publications had the Sooners in the preseason Top 10. Some had the Sooners as the preseason No. 1 pick including Athlon, Phil Steele and Gold Sheet. The team had a lot of young talent this year. The high school scouting website Rivals.com ranked Oklahoma's 2005 recruiting class number one in the nation and the 2006 recruiting class number nine. Most of the 2006 signees redshirted and did not play in 2006. When combined with statements from the Oklahoma coaching staff, the Sooners expected to be back in contention for the national title this year. On July 24, 2006, the Sooners were a 5–1 favorite to win the National Championship.
  The Sooners adopted a different jersey design in 2006, which included the removal of the players' last names from the back of the jersey due to the design of the uniform's shoulders and back, and a darker crimson color for the jersey and helmet.
  On August 2, 2006, quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, both sophomores, were dismissed from the team. It was reported that they violated NCAA regulations regarding receiving extra compensation. It was later determined Bomar received $7,406.88 and Quinn $8,137.17. The loss of these two key players affected the team's placement in many publications' preseason polls as well as their chances of winning a national championship. The team turned to starting quarterback Paul Thompson (a converted wide receiver in 2005) and backup Joey Halzle to lead the team.
  After investigating the Bomar scandal, on July 11, 2007, the NCAA announced a finding of "failure to monitor" the employment of student athletes and handed out penalties.  These included a verdict that all wins from the 2005 Oklahoma season were vacated, changing the team's record from 8–4 to 0–4 for that year. The University of Oklahoma appealed the finding, and the wins were later restored.
caption: Kevin Wilson, promoted to offensive coordinator before the beginning of the season
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