The Oklahoma Sooners are wading into new territory with their move to the SEC. The schedule is full of teams projected to be in the top 15 when the initial polls come out in August.
It’s a brave new world.
[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has his squad ready to go into the SEC and compete. There’s no doubt that they’re a better team than they were a year ago this time. Oklahoma added to a unit that showed big improvement last season. And with arguably an upgrade at quarterback, the Sooners look poised to show off their improved roster in 2024.
But even if they’re improved, The Tennessean’s Blake Toppmeyer believes they may not live up to their No. 8 spot in the ESPN Football Power Index. As Toppmeyer goes through the SEC, he looked to project how each SEC team would perform relative to the ESPN FPI. For Oklahoma, he believes they could be better but end up with a worse record.
Oklahoma must face Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama and LSU. Talk about a rude welcome to the SEC. The Sooners could have a better team than last season (when they went 10-3) and still finish with a worse record. – Toppmeyer, The Tennessean
Oklahoma will face as many as six teams that will be ranked in the top 25, and four to five of those could be top 15.
The Sooners defense will be good enough to give Oklahoma’s offense an opportunity to find their sea legs in 2024. For the first time in a long time, Oklahoma’s offense won’t have to be perfect all four quarters and for 12 or more games for the Sooners to win.
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