The beginning of the 2024 season is now just 10 days away, and all of the talk and the gnashing of teeth about the Oklahoma Sooners entering the 2024 season will give way to actual football games.
The Sooners have quite the challenge ahead of them. Six of the teams on their schedule were ranked in the top 15 of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. It’s going to be as entertaining of a season as we’ve had over the last 25 years with conference realignment and the expanded playoffs.
The Sooners schedule can be seen as both a positive and a negative. On the one side, it’s tough. Getting to 10 wins will be a challenge. On the other side of the coin, if the Sooners get to nine or 10 wins they’ll be a legitimate title contender.
But how many wins Oklahoma gets to is the question. Heather Dinich of ESPN thinks the Sooners miss the playoff as one of the first four out in her College Football Playoff projection for ESPN (ESPN+).
The Sooners will be better in Brent Venables’ third season — particularly on defense — but it won’t be reflected in their record because of a challenging first season in the SEC. OU has to replace all five starters on the offensive line and could have three or four road losses with trips to Auburn, Ole Miss, Mizzou and LSU. – Dinich, ESPN
Along with the Sooners in the first four out are the LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, and Tennessee Volunteers. OU plays each of those teams.
No doubt road trips to Auburn, Oxford, and Baton Rouge will be tough. The Sooners have had a lot of success in Columbia and against Missouri with a 67-24-5 record all-time.
But Oklahoma will also have some tough home games when they welcome Tennessee and Alabama to town, and that doesn’t account for the Red River Rivalry, which is always a toss-up.
November could be a make-or-break month for the Sooners when they play Missouri, Alabama, and LSU in the final month of the season. How they perform in those games could tell the tale of the 2024 college football season for the Sooners.
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