NORMAN, Okla. -- In their first trip to West Virginia, four years ago, the Oklahoma Sooners faced one unstoppable set of offensive triplets.

This weekend, they trek to Morgantown for a primetime showdown that will hold conference title -- and perhaps playoff -- implications. And this time around, it's the Sooners who are armed with college football's most electrifying offensive trio.

Not since the Mountaineers' combo of Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey has the Big 12 witnessed a threesome the caliber of Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Joe Mixon and wideout Dede Westbrook, who together have fueled Oklahoma’s unexpected push back into the playoff picture.

“The good news is, there’s only one ball, so only one of them can have it at a time,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “But they’re playing lights out.”

Given the numbers Mayfield, Mixon and Westbrook have been putting up, lights out might be an understatement.

With 33 touchdown passes and a sizzling completion rate of 72 percent, Mayfield is on track to eclipse Russell Wilson’s FBS season passing efficiency record set at Wisconsin five years ago. Mayfield also is ahead of all quarterbacks, including Heisman front-runner Lamar Jackson of Louisville, in QBR this season.

Mixon leads the nation with almost 194 all-purpose yards per game. He’s second in the Big 12 in rushing, with a whopping average of 7 yards per carry. And he’s the only player in the country this season to deliver touchdowns passing, rushing, receiving and via kick return.

“[Mayfield] is ridiculous, the way he can trigger a pass, as quick as he can do it,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “Mixon is a freak; you can line him up at running back, you can line him up at receiver — he’s such a terrific athlete.”

But as prolific as Mayfield and Mixon have been, Westbrook has been the difference for the Sooners in conference play.

Hobbled by a preseason hamstring injury in Oklahoma’s nonconference losses to Houston and Ohio State, Westbrook has since recovered and erupted, helping the Sooners reach No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Since Oct. 1, Westbrook leads the country with 1,454 yards of total offense and 15 touchdowns, more than Georgia, Arizona or Florida have scored as teams over the same span.

As a result, Westbrook has emerged as a favorite for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top receiver. Despite the slow start, he also was the only wideout to be named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, presented to the player of the year. And just this week, Westbrook debuted at fourth on ESPN's Heisman Watch.

“It’s been remarkable to see what Dede Westbrook has done week in, week out,” Beaty said. “I don’t think people understand just how great of a season this kid is having individually. To me, this kid ought to be in the Heisman conversation with the amount of production he has.”

If it weren’t for Westbrook, Mayfield might be an even stronger Heisman candidate himself, coming off a season in which he finished fourth in the voting. But even though his passing statistics are better than last year, Mayfield confessed that Westbrook is “more deserving" of Heisman consideration on the back of his recent surge.

“He’s been playing at such a high level,” Mayfield said. “The plays he’s been making, he deserves that recognition.”

Westbrook noted his uncanny ability to change direction derives from a childhood of staging rock fights in the countryside with his cousins.

“Comes from dodging rocks at my grandma's house,” he said.

Joe Mixon, Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook have celebrated in the end zone quite a bit this season. Stephen P. O'Brien/Icon Sportswire

Westbrook dons No. 11 because that is Austin’s jersey number with the Rams. In a wild shootout against the Sooners four years ago, Austin set a Big 12 record with 572 all-purpose yards. Oklahoma won the game 50-49. But the Sooners had no answer for West Virginia’s triplets, most notably Austin, who rushed for 344 yards.

“The guy was awesome,” Westbrook said.

Individually, all three Sooners have been awesome, too. But in conjunction, they’ve been an absolute machine.

Last month at Texas Tech, they teamed up to make Oklahoma the first offense in FBS history to feature a 500-yard passer, a 200-rusher and a 200-yard receiver in one game.

“When you talk about production, those three guys are on fire,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “It’s as good as any I’ve seen. The running back is as good as any in the country; the receiver, too. The quarterback is playing at a high level, not making any mistakes, protecting the football.

“So I don’t know if there’s a better threesome out there right now.”

Last Saturday, it was Baylor’s turn to feel the full effect of Oklahoma’s three-headed monster.

The Bears hung tough through three quarters, but then Oklahoma’s triplets took over. Mayfield ducked beneath the rush and floated a pass downfield as he was belted from the side. Baylor had tight coverage on the pass, but somehow Westbrook hauled in the throw while backpedaling with arms extended before crashing over the goal line for his second-most acrobatic touchdown grab of the game (this was his first). Later in the fourth quarter, Mixon delivered the dagger, bursting through a Baylor tackle attempt to romp 56 yards for the game-clinching score.

“The combination of the three of us is a special one,” Mayfield said. “Defenses have to pick their poison on what they want to stop. It’s pretty special.”

Oklahoma’s offense got even more special last week with the return of bruising running back Samaje Perine, who had missed the previous three games with a pulled leg muscle. Not only does Perine hold the FBS record with 427 rushing yards in a game, he battered the Mountaineers for 242 yards and four touchdowns in Oklahoma’s win in Morgantown two years ago.

That night, Perine was a one-man wrecking ball.

This time around, he’ll be flanking the nation’s most efficient passer.

Its most dangerous receiver.

Its most effective all-around back.

Who lately together have been unstoppable.

“Baker Mayfield is a ballplayer, Westbrook is changing games, Mixon is coming into his own," Holgorsen said. “They have the best offense in this league. They’re the ones that have got it going on more than anyone else.

“It’s going to be a challenge for our defense. But one our guys are looking forward to."