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
NEW: 2024 College Football SEC Preseason Media Poll👀
Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/Cl9jMaPmXm pic.twitter.com/sIkZVEX54T
— On3 (@On3sports) July 19, 2024
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 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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