The Oklahoma Sooners have been incredible at home over the course of their 115 seasons. Inside Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, they’ve been downright dominant, boasting a record of 418-86-15 (.820 win percentage).
In 2024, the Sooners went 6-0 at home with wins over Arkansas State, SMU, Iowa State, UCF, West Virginia and TCU. At home, they averaged 537 yards per game of total offense and 51 points per game. On the road, those numbers dropped to 34.8 points per game and 464 yards per game.
Defensively, the Sooners were better at home than they were on the road, but the numbers aren’t drastically different. They allowed 22.4 points per game at home and 23.4 points per game on the road.
It’s a clear advantage for the offense, which is better able to communicate against the low hum of the home crowd instead of the raucous environment it faces as the road team.
In the first year in the SEC, in addition to the strength of teams Oklahoma will face on the schedule, the Sooners will walk into some of the more difficult road environments in the country. But how does [autotag]Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium[/autotag] stack up against the hallowed grounds of some legendary venues in the SEC?
David Cobb of CBS Sports ranked the Sooners’ home as the No. 9 venue in the SEC heading into 2024.
If this was 2023 and we were ranking the best Big 12 stadiums, “The Palace on the Prarie” would likely sit at No. 1. But the Sooner faithful will have to prove that OU’s home-field advantage is better than that of the SEC’s legacy programs. Visits from Tennessee and Alabama in 2024 will give the Sooners a chance to set the record straight. – Cobb, CBS Sports
Oklahoma will visit the teams that ranked No. 1 (LSU), No. 5 (Auburn), No. 13 (Ole Miss) and No. 14 (Missouri).
If there’s some consolation to being ninth, the Oklahoma Sooners will have an opportunity to show out this year with big home games against Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama. Win those three, and Cobb will be forced to rethink where Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium ranks.
Oklahoma also comes in one spot ahead of the Texas Longhorns for best home venue.
The Red River Rivals will host the two teams that have been running the conference for the better part of the last 15 years. The Crimson Tide roll into Norman, and Texas welcomes the Georgia Bulldogs.
If the Sooners can knock off Kalen DeBoer’s crew in November, it will go a long way to establishing the “Palace on the Prairie” as one of the best in the SEC.
More: SEC Stadium Capacities Ranked
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.