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BREAKING: Oklahoma Football Receives Shocking Placement in 2024 SEC Preseason Media Poll

The Oklahoma football program has earned four trips to the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014, more than the Georgia Bulldogs, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Texas Longhorns, and Florida State Seminoles. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is fresh off a double-digit winning season, their first under second-year head coach Brent Venables. Nevertheless, the usually consistent Sooners will head to the Southeastern Conference next fall after a near century in the Big 12. Despite their recent success and proven track record of winning, the SEC media conglomerate believes they will struggle in year one in the new conference.

With Friday’s SEC Preseason Media Poll reveal, Oklahoma Sooners fans need more clarification about their placement. Oklahoma ranks sixth in the preseason poll, trailing Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas, and Georgia. They also narrowly finished ahead of Texas A&M.

Oklahoma Football: Disrespected By SEC Media

SEC
Greg Sankey is the new commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. [Courtesy of Southeastern Conference (Oklahoma Sooners football schedule) (Sooners Oklahoma football)
The SEC Preseason Media Poll paints a bleak picture of Oklahoma football’s prospects next season. Oklahoma was placed sixth in the media poll, shockingly trailing LSU and Missouri. Despite the Big 12 not as highly touted as the Southeastern Conference, Oklahoma has ranked near the top of the league in all but one season since 1999. Additionally, before their departure, the Sooners led the Big 12 in appearances and wins regarding title games.

Oklahoma also heads into the SEC next season with a winning record against eight conference teams. The Sooners are 110-49-8 against current SEC members. Only Georgia (0-1-1) and LSU (1-2) have winning records against Oklahoma. The former Big 12 program also received no votes to finish atop the Southeastern Conference, with Vanderbilt and South Carolina combining for three votes.

Oklahoma: Heading Into 2024 Season with High Expectations

Oklahoma Football, SEC
PROVO, UT – NOVEMBER 18: Jackson Arnold, #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners, throws a pass during the second half of their game against the Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium on November 18, 2023 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Oklahoma football went 10-3 last season, finishing 12th in the final College Football Playoff Poll. The Sooners scored 41.7 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the country. However, this fall, the quarterback-play-caller duo of Dillon Gabriel and Jeff Lebby will not return to Norman, Oklahoma. Instead, former five-star mega prospect Jackson Arnold will take over under center. Arnolds went 44-for-69 for 563 yards and four touchdowns against three picks as a true freshman last season. Meanwhile, former North Texas head coach and OU assistant Seth Littrell will hold offensive coordinator duties.

Defensively, Oklahoma will again lean on linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman. Stutsman has recorded 229 tackles, 26.5 TFLs, six sacks, and three interceptions in his last two seasons. Bowman has also collected nine interceptions and 123 tackles since 2022.   

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For More Football News and to dive into the excitement, follow me on Twitter at @alec_musa. Let’s get the conversation rolling! I’m all ears for your thoughts and insights. You can also reach out to me via email at musaalec@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest college and NFL news, click here!

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About Alec Musa

Alec is a sports writer and former college/high school football coach from Phoenix, Arizona. Before taking on his current role at Gridiron Heroics, Alec worked for Sportskeeda in the same role. He covers the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Florida State Seminoles, and Michigan Wolverines.

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