The last few years have been interesting territory for the Oklahoma Sooners. The program announced a future move to the SEC from the Big 12, which led to Lincoln Riley leaving the program for USC.
Then, the Sooners hired Brent Venables to lead the program, which saw him post a 6-7 record during his first season as the head coach. After posting a 10-3 record in the 2023 college football season, Venables is taking the program into the SEC during a defining third year as the head coach.
It’s truthfully hard to place expectations on the program. There’s a new coordinator on both sides of the ball. Jackson Arnold is taking over as the starting quarterback and is expected to thrive in an air raid system with a loaded wide receiver corps. The defense should take a leap forward. So, how does one predict the team’s first season in the SEC? 247Sports’ Brad Crawford gave it his best shot while taking a look at the entire conference.
Oklahoma Sooners projected to finish mid-table in first SEC season
The Sooners over/under win total is generally placed at 7.5 games. It feels low for a blue blood program like Oklahoma, but the SEC is the most difficult conference for any college football program to play one, which makes sense when looking at their gauntlet of a schedule.
Crawford has the Sooners barely hitting the over on their line, winning eight games in the 2024 college football season. His prediction has Oklahoma going 4-4 in SEC play, finishing No. 9 in the conference.
Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC could start in impressive fashion if the Sooners handle Tennessee at home, then topple Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium to conclude a perfect opening month,” Crawford wrote. “The pressure of being unbeaten and ranked inside the top 10 could wear on Oklahoma thereafter, beginning with Red River and then going through the SEC gauntlet late against a bevy of national championship contenders. By the time the dust settles on the 2024 season, Oklahoma will be out of the SEC title race, but should be in for a respectable finish inside the top 25.”
An 8-4 Sooners team is a top-25 program in the country. A nine-win season would leave the team on the bubble of making the College Football Playoffs, which has an expanded 12-team field in 2024.
The Sooners’ four projected losses come to Texas, Missouri, Alabama and LSU — four incredible programs. It’s hard to imagine Oklahoma loses each of those four games, but they might also split the two contests against Tennessee and Auburn. They also have to play Ole Miss. The schedule is simply tough for Venables and Oklahoma.
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