The Oklahoma Sooners have been waiting to join the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] since the summer of 2021. After officially becoming members on July 1, OU opens its first season in the conference on Aug. 30 against Temple. The first league game occurs on Sept. 21 against Tennessee.
One of the major talking points surrounding Oklahoma this offseason has been the difficult schedule the Sooners were given to open their time in the SEC. OU was done no favors when it came time to the schedules, but it may be something Sooner fans have to get used to.
That’s because ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) has ranked all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams by how difficult their schedules are. While the FPI has been known to have some wacky outputs at times, this list illustrates just how tough OU’s new league is.
Oklahoma has the seventh-toughest schedule in college football, according to the FPI. Furthermore, of the 10 toughest schedules in 2024, nine are from the SEC. Georgia Tech, out of the [autotag]ACC[/autotag], is the only non-SEC team with one of the 10 most difficult schedules.
For reference, the hardest schedules in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] belong to West Virginia and Houston, ranked 36th and 37th. They slot in right behind UMass. The toughest [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag] schedule belongs to Purdue (11th). Notre Dame is all the way down at No. 55, behind Kent State, Colorado State, Louisiana-Monroe and Boise State. Neither [autotag]Pac-12[/autotag] school cracked the top 65. Florida has the country’s toughest schedule per the FPI, followed by Mississippi State and its new head coach, former Oklahoma offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag].
Again, the FPI has been known to have some outputs that don’t always line up with what is commonly believed to be accurate. For example, Texas doesn’t have the 10th-hardest schedule in the nation this season, but that’s where FPI has it slotted. The Longhorns dodge the toughest foes in the SEC, aside from Georgia, Texas A&M and the annual rivalry matchup with the Sooners.
Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] hopes his team can take the next steps in 2024 and improve again. Oklahoma will be breaking in a new offensive line and a new starting quarterback in [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], along with new coordinators on both sides of the ball. However, Venables’ defense looks ready to take another leap forward and Arnold’s upside is undeniable. He’ll have no shortage of weapons to get the football to, as OU looks to make the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] for the first time since 2019.
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