You absolutely do not know this to be true.
Of course not, but would Rattler have accounted for 5,149 total yards and 52 touchdowns and been a Heisman finalist ?
Hurts was clearly no Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray. That's not even debatable. And Rattler may prove to be a much better QB than Hurts even with less than the gaudy numbers Hurts put up.
But would Rattler's efforts this year have been enough to overcome OU's defensive issues ? Those issues did not help the Mayfield or Murray led teams from 2015-2018.
What's keeping OU from competing with the likes of LSU, Clemson or Ohio State is not about the QB position as it is playing defense and anyone who's watched this team game after game in recent years should know this.
The last three years in the first round of the playoffs OU surrendered 162 points (54 points per game average) to the much hated...and envied...SEC competition.