We’re just a few weeks away from the start of another college football season, which means No. 16 Oklahoma’s first SEC season is almost here! The Sooners don’t have an easy schedule this year, and all of their conference opponents will be trying to spoil their inaugural season. But there is a lot of optimism surrounding Brent Venables’ squad, and the Sooners could easily surprise a lot of people in the coming months. Here’s a look at Oklahoma’s 2024 schedule and where OU might finish at the end of the season.
Non-Conference Games
Oklahoma’s season will begin on August 30 with a visit from the Temple Owls, who went 1-7 in the American and 3-9 overall in 2023. This should be nothing more than a tune-up game for the Sooners, although it will be the first time that fans see sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold after his interesting performance in last season’s Alamo Bowl. The Sooners have another home game the following week against the Houston Cougars, who are in a transition year and should present another easy win for the Sooners. Then, OU has a third straight home game, this time against the Tulane Green Wave, who are also in a rebuilding year after losing their head coach to Houston. The Sooners’ final non-con game of the season is on November 2, when the Maine Black Bears come to Norman. That game will represent OU’s only break from SEC play in the middle of the season. Barring a disaster, there is no reason why Oklahoma should lose any of their non-conference games this year.
SEC Play
Much has been written about Oklahoma’s move to the SEC, but it’s almost time to put the talk aside and settle it all on the field. Oklahoma was picked to finish 8th in the conference, while the rival Texas Longhorns were picked to finish second. Regardless of what happens on the field, this is going to be a truly historic season for the Sooners and the SEC.
Oklahoma will play their fourth straight home game to begin the season on September 21 when they welcome the No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers to Palace on the Prairie. Tennessee is also led by a hotshot quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, and has very strong defensive line, so they’ll be OU’s first test of the season. The Sooners then travel to Jordan Hare to face the unranked Auburn Tigers. Auburn is a team that could have a wide variety of outcomes this season, but they are still a less talented team on paper than the Sooners are.
After a bye week, comes the Red River Rivalry on October 12. Texas was ranked 4th in the preseason AP Poll and has a noticeably easier SEC schedule than does Oklahoma. OU will undoubtedly be the underdogs in this rivalry game, although Texas has already had some injury problems. Quinn Ewers is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and the Longhorns have a ton of blue-chip talent, so OU will have their work cut out for them. But the Sooners were also underdogs last season, and we all know how that turned out.
The next week, October 19, OU will play South Carolina at home. The Gamecocks will have a new signal-caller now that Spencer Rattler is in the NFL, but they also have arguably the best athlete in the nation in receiver Nick Harbor. On October 26, the Sooners will travel to Oxford and take on the portal king Lane Kiffin and No. 6 Ole Miss. The Rebels return quarterback Jaxson Dart, and although they lost Quinshon Judkins to Ohio State, they brought in so much talent on both sides of the ball that they have a legitimate shot to win the SEC in 2024. After a break from conference play against Maine, OU will be on the road on November 9 to take on No. 11 Missouri. The Tigers have one of the best quarterback-receiver combos in the nation in Brady Cook and Luther Burden III, making Missouri yet another difficult opponent for the Sooners.
Oklahoma’s final home game of the season is on November 23 against the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide. Nick Saban may be gone, but rest assured that Kalen DeBoer will have that ‘Bama squad humming late in the season and Jalen Milroe will probably be the most dynamic quarterback Brent Venables and Co. face all season. To round out the season, the team will head to Baton Rouge for a game against No. 13 LSU. The Tigers were atrocious on defense last season but also had Heisman winner Jayden Daniels to rely on. With Daniels gone, Garrett Nussmeier will lead the offense, although it remains to be seen how explosive he can be.
All things considered, Oklahoma has an incredibly difficult schedule. Even assuming that they win all of their non-conference games, the Sooners may struggle to win eight or nine games this season. But a lot of the team’s success depends on how much Jackson Arnold has improved since last season. If he plays like a star, then this squad could certainly be in contention for double-digit wins and a possible playoff berth.
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