Oklahoma Sooners Rank Top 20 in Updated Post-Spring Rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners project to be a ranked program heading into their first season in the SEC. The 2024 college football season brings many storylines, but how the Sooners fare as they join a gauntlet of a league will be among the most interesting to follow.

The timing of the transition is interesting, too. Brent Venables has been with the program for two seasons, posing six wins in his first season and ten wins in his second season — though both seasons came in the Big 12. Third seasons are known as the most defining for head coaches looking to establish themselves with a program, and Venables’ third season comes in the SEC.

For about every reason, the Sooners’ transition will be interesting to follow and it’s hard to get a grasp on how they will fare. With Jackson Arnold taking over under center as a sophomore, equipped with a deep wide receiver corps, and new coordinators on both sides of the ball, there remains a high ceiling and a low floor for the season.

Oklahoma Sooners rank No. 18 in updated post-spring rankings

Being a ranked program seems to be the floor for a blue blood program like Oklahoma. Where will they be ranked, though? The Sporting News’ Bill Bender recently released an updated post-spring top 25 rankings, with the Sooners slotted as the No. 18 team in the nation.

“Are the Sooners under-valued here? Oklahoma averaged 41.7 points per game in 2023 under second-year coach Brent Venables. The Sooners lost Dillon Gabriel to the portal, but sophomore Jackson Arnold gained enough experience as a freshman,” Bender wrote.

The sophomore quarterback has elite arm talent and is playing under Seth Littrell’s air raid offense — a pairing that should allow Arnold’s talent to shine at the highest level. As mentioned, he also has an elite wide receiver corps to toss the ball to.

“Leading rusher Gavin Sawchuk averaged 6.2 yards per carry, and Purdue transfer Deion Burks could have a breakout season. The offensive line also features three transfers. How will new offensive coordinator Seth Littrell piece that together?” Bender continued.

Brent Venables runs on the field before an NCAA football game between University of Oklahoma (OU) and Iowa State at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

Not only should the Sooners’ offense be strong, but the defense should continue to improve. The defense has undergone a resurgence since Venables took over, and that will continue as the head coach added defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who will echo Venables’ philosophy and continue to help the defense take leaps forward.

“Linebacker Danny Stutsman – who had 104 tackles and 16 tackles for loss – bypassed the 2024 NFL Draft. The Sooners made improvements on that side in 2023,” Bender continued. “Oklahoma’s first four games are at home, and that culminates with a SEC opener against Tennessee (Sept. 21). Texas (Oct. 12), Ole Miss (Oct. 26), Missouri (Nov. 9), Alabama (Nov. 23) and LSU (Nov. 30) all are on a welcome-to-the-SEC-schedule. It’s one of the toughest in the country.”

Evidently, the Sooners’ schedule is tough. But there’s plenty of reason to believe the program is due for another leap and they should receive some forgiveness in the rankings due to their strength of schedule. A nine-win Sooners team is easily on the bubble of the College Football Playoffs.

READ MORE: Where’s Oklahoma Sooners’ Secondary Rank Nationally?