Oklahoma adds two nonconference opponents to the 2024 schedule

The 2024 non-conference schedule is set as the Sooners will play Houston and Maine.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] have secured its final two nonconference opponents for 2024. They will take on the [autotag]Houston Cougars[/autotag] to fulfill the SEC’s Power Five requirement and the [autotag]Maine Black Bears[/autotag] of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

University of Oklahoma Vice President and Director of Athletics [autotag]Joe Castiglione[/autotag] announced these two additions to the schedule on Friday.

Oklahoma will host both teams in Norman giving them seven home games for just the seventh time in program history.

The game against Houston is scheduled for Sept. 7, 2024, and is part of a home-and-home series, with OU expected to play at Houston on Sept. 16, 2028. However, the date for the game against Maine will be determined once the Sooners’ SEC schedule is finalized.

”We’re excited to add Houston and Maine to our 2024 schedule” Castiglione said. “We always strive to schedule non-conference opponents in a manner that positions us for success and creates a fun environment for fans. It was always going to be a challenge to find two programs at this late stage that had open dates, but we’re happy with the result of that process and are thrilled to give our fans seven home games in 2024. A big thank-you to Houston athletics director Chris Pezman and Maine AD Jude Killy for their cooperation, and, in Maine’s case, its willingness to be flexible on a game date.”

The Sooners have never faced the Black Bears. They’re 3-1 all-time against Houston.

Both of these games will join the [autotag]Temple Owls[/autotag] and [autotag]Tulane Green Wave[/autotag] on Oklahoma’s nonconference schedule for 2024.

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University of Oklahoma leadership finalizes plans for SEC move at Board of Regents meeting

Oklahoma hosted a Board of Regents meeting to finalize plans for their move to the SEC.

Oklahoma’s time in the Big 12 has its official move-out day. After a special Board of Regents meeting hosted Friday afternoon, it is now official: Oklahoma’s last day in the conference will be June 30, 2024.

The special Board of Regents meeting was announced unexpectedly on Wednesday. However, the meeting served a significant purpose. The university finalized OU’s early exit to the SEC from the Big 12.

OU president Joseph Harroz spoke to the media on Friday to add clarity regarding the purpose of the meeting and what was accomplished.

“Today is the documentation of what was announced in February on the agreement with the Big 12 commissioner, the Big 12, the University of Texas, and for our departure from the Big 12 one year early,” OU President Joseph Harroz said Friday. “This brings together all those things and approves the agreements that will document that.”

Texas is, by and large, doing the same thing on its end and allowing itself the requisite time to make sure no legal issues may arise that could impede the transition from one conference to the next. The Big 12 announced an early-exit agreement with Oklahoma and Texas on Feb. 9. Both schools were supposed to depart in 2025 but came to an agreement that would allow both schools to leave next year. However, the two schools will pay $100 million combined in early exit fees.

The Sooners plan to leave behind their $40 million from its Big 12 television rights from 2023, which will contribute to their exit fee. With that hurdle clear, all systems are a go, and Oklahoma closes in on its historic move to the SEC.

“It just accelerates a few things,” Sooners’ athletic director Joe Castiglione said on Friday. “We’ve been working on this for the last, say, a year and a half since we announced our move. We’ve done a lot of work on campus. Many of our staff members have come together and worked on various subcommittees on a myriad of topics.”

Oklahoma will begin competition in the SEC during the 2024-2025 academic year for every sport but men’s gymnastics and wrestling since SEC schools don’t support these programs.

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Meeting at the Crossroads: Oklahoma hoops offseason critical ahead of pivotal 2023-2024

With the SEC move on the horizon and a ton of turnover on the court, the Sooners’ men’s basketball team is at a critical junction this offseason.

Oklahoma’s athletic department is led by one of the nation’s best. Joe Castiglione is highly regarded amongst his peers for his work as Oklahoma’s athletic department leader for over 20 years.

Castiglione was named Co-National Athletic Director of the Year in May 2018 by the Sports Business Journal. He won the award in 2009 and was a finalist in 2016.

He is at the forefront of Oklahoma’s move into unchartered territory as the university, its fan base, the city of Norman, and everyone prepares for move to the SEC. A conference that feels more like a season of Game of Thrones than a sporting competition.

The athletic department wants to be operating at its full potential as they leap to the nation’s toughest conference.

The SEC takes no prisoners as it competes for cultural relevance, fiscal domination, and broadcast prominence across the major sports while continuing to create more exposure for those sports that aren’t traditionally the biggest draw.

Oklahoma is one of the nation’s most iconic football programs. Castiglione, head coach Brent Venables, and the program know what it takes for OU to go toe to toe with Alabama and Georgia. The Sooners have to level up everything to rise to that higher level of competition.

The diamond is a bit of a different story. Patty Gasso is the best in the country and leads a program that is the best. The softball program has made as strong of a case as anyone for being the best in collegiate sports. They’ve created a dynasty similar to the one that Nick Saban created at Alabama, and their two-plus year run atop the sport of softball is equal to that of the Georgia Bulldogs in football. The SEC will be playing catchup to OU softball.

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The same can be said for gymnastics.

K.J. Kindler and the women’s gymnastics team have had an incredible run of their own.  Rivaling that of the Sooners’ softball team. Under Kindler, the Sooners have made 16 national championship appearances since 2007 and won five national titles since 2014.

The men’s gymnastics team has won nine national titles and has been the national runner-up 10 times since Mark Williams took over in the year 2000.

Oklahoma’s other diamond sport has some work to do, but Skip Johnson and the OU baseball team fought to a College World Series final last summer. It was an incredible run before losing to, you guessed it, an SEC team in Ole Miss.

The women’s hoops team has been to the round of 32 in each of Jennie Baranczyk’s first two seasons. They’ve got some success to build on as they head into the deep waters of the SEC that features powerhouse programs like South Carolina, Tennessee, and this year’s national champion LSU.

That brings us to Oklahoma’s men’s basketball team.

Every team previously mentioned has won a national title for the university or gone to the NCAA tournament in recent years.

The men’s team has not.

Oklahoma’s men’s basketball team is coming off its second consecutive missed NCAA Tournament. The Sooners haven’t gone consecutive years missing the NCAA tournament since 2009. That drought would last until they made the Big Dance in 2013.

The program narrowly missed it in 2022. Despite transfer portal additions like Nevada transfer Grant Sherfield, the team took a step back in 2023, finishing last in the Big 10. They were strangely competitive at times, picking up top 25 wins that provided glimpses of potential. The biggest highlight was their upset win over No. 2 Alabama. But much of the season was incredibly inconsistent, leading to a disappointing finish.

In the aftermath of these two consecutive missed NCAA tournaments, it’s hard to imagine that Porter Moser isn’t facing a little pressure for tangible improvements.

I would be willing to suggest this: His job is on the line if the Sooners don’t make the NCAA tournament next season.

Not because he’s a horrendous coach that has lost control of the program but because Moser was seen as a rising candidate in the coaching ranks. After taking Loyola Chicago to the Final Four in 2018, he looked like one of those program-elevating hires. The Sooners have not improved in is first two seasons. One could argue that the program has gone in the opposite direction.

So what’s next?

Eight players have departed the program since the season ended at the hands of in-state foe Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament. The Sooners will be welcoming four-star freshmen Kaden Cooper and Jacolb Cole this summer. They’ll provide a boost to the program.

But they won’t be enough to completely retool the roster. Oklahoma has to make aggressive moves in the transfer portal.

Sooners Wire took a look at a few names the Sooners have shown interest in or should target in the transfer portal.

They also may consider looking at their Xs and Os.

In Ken Pomeroy’s ratings, Oklahoma ranked 74th in adjusted offensive efficiency. Defensively, they ranked 48th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Oklahoma shot poorly on numerous occasions. They had no game-changing big men. Their big men struggled to score and rebound. They lacked the athleticism to match up on the wings with teams like TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas, etc.

Porter Moser’s shown with the additions of Cooper and Cole in the 2023 class and Milos Uzan and Otega Oweh in 2022, that he can recruit. But will he get enough time to build his roster on the recruiting trail? He’ll have to make bolder moves than that.

Oklahoma will enter next year with an almost entirely new team. It remains to be seen if the roster turnover will result in wins.

Kim Mulkey, head coach of the LSU women’s basketball team, hit the portal before last season, bringing in nine new players. She parlayed those signees into a national title.

It may be hard to replicate that. However, Moser and his staff have an opportunity for a soft reset. That reset could save his job and give his boss added confidence in him as the Sooners head to the SEC.

The football program has decades of success to fall back upon and national titles to boot. The men’s basketball program does not, but the expectations for the basketball program aren’t national titles every year. NCAA tournament appearances are the floor for this program. But they should be competing for conference titles and making runs deep into the tournament. A sweet 16 appearance and a final four here and there are reasonable expectations for a program that’s been able to land some of the best players in the country in years past.

Porter Moser and his staff have their hands full over this offseason to revitalize the energy and excitement around the men’s program. Attendance was spotty at best, and it seems the fans need a reason to believe. The administration also probably needs a reason to believe in their investment.

The idea behind the SEC move is the financial ramifications, but the Oklahoma community believes it can compete with the best, regardless of the sport.

If we’re unbiased, it’s hard to argue against the SEC as the best conference in collegiate athletics. That’s why next season for Oklahoma basketball means so much.

How many programs can they have firing on all cylinders or at least trending in a positive direction before entering the lion’s den? It would go a long way toward establishing their identity in the SEC. Additionally, success on the hardwood for the men’s team would help Joe Castiglione and Oklahoma leadership send a message to the rest of the SEC: We aren’t here to exist. We’re here not just to compete. We’re here to win.

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Kyler Murray to be honored in Heisman Park at Oklahoma Sooners’ Spring Game

Athletic Director Joe Castiglione revealed to 94.7 The REF in Norman that Kyler Murray will get his Heisman statue unveiled at the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game.

[autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] will be getting his statue added to Oklahoma’s Heisman Park this April at the OU Football Spring Game, Athletic director Joe Castiglione told The REF on Thursday.

Castiglione confirmed the news while on the “T-Row in the Morning Show” with the voice of the Sooners, Toby Rowland. Murray’s likeness being added to Heisman Park will, for now at least, complete the collection of OU’s Heisman Trophy winners outside of [autotag]Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial[/autotag] Stadium.

Last year’s “Pack the Palace” campaign for the 2022 spring game, which involved the unveiling of Baker Mayfield’s statue, was a huge success. Giving Murray his statue a year later as Brent Venables tries to build momentum for his program is a no-brainer.

The 2022 spring game was a good get-right moment for both the football program and its fans. Both of which were still feeling the effect of Lincoln Riley’s departure for USC. That game was the first time a lot of OU fans became reacquainted with Venables since his return to Norman.

Mayfield was on the verge of being traded during his statue unveiling, and Kyler Murray will still be recovering from an ACL tear sustained last December while playing for the Arizona Cardinals.

A former two-sport star at Oklahoma, Murray attended last year’s spring game in an OU Baseball jersey. Murray will be immortalized alongside past Heisman winners Mayfield, [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag], [autotag]Jason White[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Sims[/autotag], [autotag]Steve Owens[/autotag], and [autotag]Billy Vessels[/autotag].

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5 things to consider when thinking about Oklahoma’s future

Oklahoma has had a rough year but here are five things to consider when considering the Sooners’ future. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma fans have experienced a roller coaster for the better part of the last 500 days. There was optimism after the 2020 season about the possibilities for that 2021 team. That optimism was dashed when their on-field performance never came close to the lofty expectations. There was a mid-season QB change involving a pair of former five-star quarterbacks.

After picking up a win over Texas in one of the greatest comebacks of all time, the Sooners’ offense stalled in late-season losses on the road to Baylor and Oklahoma State. The day following that loss to the Cowboys, Lincoln Riley bolted for the University of Southern California after gaslighting an entire fanbase that he wasn’t leaving (for LSU).

In the week that followed, Oklahoma hired Brent Venables. Despite the attrition suffered by the 2022 recruiting class after Riley’s departure, Venables and his staff helped put together a group that was viewed as the No. 8 recruiting class in the cycle.

Offseason expectations were fairly high (quite possibly, too high) as we rolled into the summer. Summer practices offered extreme optimism, as did the first three games.

A confounding loss to Kansas State, a team notorious for how they’ve played Oklahoma as of late, made us take a step back. The next week, Oklahoma barely got off the bus before getting blasted by TCU. The Horned Frogs now look like the favorites to win the Big 12 and possibly find themselves in the College Football Playoff.

Oklahoma lost quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the TCU loss and would be forced to play without him in the Red River Showdown. The Sooners got their bell rung by rivals Texas, losing 49-0. They ran the wildcat offense for the vast majority of the game with multiple scholarship quarterbacks dressed. That felt like rock bottom.

Gabriel returned the following week for homecoming against Kansas. The offense would shine, and the defense made some plays. The Sooners beat Iowa State in a game where Gabriel and the passing game didn’t have to carry the load before dropping their latest contest to Baylor, where the defense couldn’t stop the run.

We sit days away from Oklahoma going on the road to Morgantown to face the West Virginia Mountaineers. Oklahoma is not only 5-4, but their biggest rival appears to be in a better spot going forward as both look ahead to their eventual departure to the SEC.

Looks can be deceiving, and things can change from year to year. With that said, here are five things to consider or reconsider about Oklahoma’s future.

Bedlam no more: Athletic Directors cite scheduling as reason for lost rivalry game

Per The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are not planning a nonconference schedule that include Bedlam once OU moves to the SEC.

The announcement of Oklahoma’s future move to the SEC sent shockwaves throughout college football. From a local perspective, it not only surprised Oklahomans but created a sense of animosity from the Sooners’ in-state rival, Oklahoma State.

In the aftermath of Oklahoma’s acceptance into the SEC, Oklahoma State President Kayse Shrum shared her thoughts on the move.

We are disappointed by the lack of engagement and transparency from our colleagues at OU over the past months on a matter with serious ramifications for our state. We have historically worked together to advance our state and address issues based on a partnership built on trust. To that end, we will continue to work with purpose to the advancement of our state and the betterment of our fellow Oklahomans. In the ever-changing college athletic landscape, we will honor our values and ethics as we consider the next steps. Our commitment to our student-athletes is top of mind, and their best interests will be represented prominently. We enjoy a proud athletic heritage with more national championships than any other Big 12 university, and we will aggressively pursue the opportunities ahead. Additionally, our university enjoys a great brand known for education, research, and service, and we will move forward with strength. — Shrum

No mincing words there with her thoughts on the University of Oklahoma. Mike Gundy didn’t hold back either when asked about the future of Bedlam.

I don’t think it will. I just don’t think there’s a business side of it that…I don’t make that decision. I guess Dr. Shrum and Chad Weiberg, they could do whatever they wanted or the board. I don’t know who’s involved in this. I don’t think it’s a realistic thing that it’s going to happen based on the business side of power-five conference football in the Big 12 or the SEC. That’s just my opinion on it. – Gundy

We’ve known Oklahoma State’s thoughts on the matter for some time. OU President Joseph Harroz and Athletic Director Joe Castiglione have maintained that they’d like the game to continue. According to Brett McMurphy of Action Sports, the two sides don’t see a way forward for Bedlam due to scheduling.

McMurphy spoke with the athletic directors of both schools. Chad Weiberg of Oklahoma State and Castiglione of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State’s lack of interest, combined with the reality that nonconference scheduling is planned out so far ahead that both schools are pretty well full, makes it challenging to see a path forward for Bedlam in the next decade.

Oklahoma has planned home and home matchups with SMU, Michigan, Nebraska, and Clemson. Oklahoma State has Arizona State, Arkansas, Nebraska, Alabama, Oregon, and Colorado on the books for future nonconference matchups.

According to McMurphy, OU and OSU prefer to schedule just one Power Five opponent in nonconference. So that provides little room for Bedlam.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will lock up in mid-November in a game that will have Big 12 title and College Football Playoff implications. It could also be the last Bedlam game for the foreseeable future. While the move to the SEC isn’t expected until 2025, there’s a chance it could come earlier if OU and Texas are willing to pay the price.

While the SEC is exciting, it is a shame that Bedlams won’t be a part of the regular schedule. Hopefully, a time comes when the two schools can come together and make the game happen. It may be a lopsided rivalry, but it’s one that means a lot for both schools and for the state of Oklahoma.

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Best Photos of Brent Venables from his Oklahoma head coaching debut

After nine months in Norman, the long-awaited debut of Brent Venables lived up to expectations as the Oklahoma Sooners beat UTEP 45-13.

The long-awaited debut of the Brent Venables era at the University of Oklahoma came off without a hitch. Well, mostly.

It wasn’t a perfect day, but the Oklahoma Sooners came away with a 45-13 win over UTEP in a game that was close briefly in the second quarter until Oklahoma turned on the juice again.

Venables’ Sooners came out hungry and played with passion and energy from the get go. Offensively that had several big plays in the first quarter; a deep ball to Marvin Mims, a big run from Eric Gray, a big catch and run from Mims, and then the Gavin Freeman touchdown.

Defensively, they were flying to the football. They weren’t satisfied with one Oklahoma defender getting to the ball. It was as if they all wanted to be in on the tackle. Something that was noticeable in the spring game carried over to the 2022 season opener. Team tackling.

Again, not perfect as the Sooners missed 11 tackles against a tough quarterback and an elusive set of skill players. Still, it was better than the 15 missed tackles allowed against Tulane in week one of 2021.

And as our Ben Dackiw wrote, there was a noticeable difference in what played out on the field in the 2022 season opener compared to a year ago.

Unlike a year ago, the Sooners dominated their opponent on the scoreboard to a 32-point win, came away with 6 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and allowed less than one yard per carry against UTEP’s rushing attack.

Offensively, they were balanced, and Dillon Gabriel looked poised as the Sooners racked up 492 yards of total offense at 8.1 yards per play.

And as important as the scoreboard was how this team looked, winning by 32. They looked like their head coach. A fiery, energetic, passionate, and aggressive team.

After months of preparation, Brent Venables led his team onto the field for the first time and described it as “special.”

“Well, that was really fast. That went really fast. A special day for a lot of reasons,” Brent Venables said. “Most of all, we did a lot of things for the first time today. A lot of players experienced things for the first time. I’m super thankful for the fans today. They were outstanding. Our Walk of Champions and the energy in the stadium when we kicked off was really special. No surprise.”

From the pregame to the game, even as temperatures forced fans to leave their seats, the environment spoke to a new beginning. An excitement that had been building for months to witness what the next era of Oklahoma football would look like.

And when it was all said and done, the Sooners handed a game ball to each player and coach in the locker room. President Joseph Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione also received game balls from Brent Venables.

It was an act of appreciation from the Sooners’ new head coach to his staff, administration, and the players for buying into what Venables was preaching and putting in the work.

And in turn, Venables received a game ball from the administration that put their faith in the returning son.

“Yeah, I actually did. Everybody in there got one. We gave them to Joe [Castiglione] and Joe [Harroz]. I gave him to Joe and Joe for believing in me. And this is Oklahoma. They didn’t have to hire me. And I don’t take that for granted at all. So, we gave them a game ball after we gave one to every player and coach in there. So again, we’ve talked about, again, this being Team 128, and we want to celebrate success no matter how it looks. But it’s a special day, certainly, for our players in 2022 and where we want to go as a program. For me, this is gonna be a date that we all remember for a long, long time. So, everybody got one.”

It was an emotional moment that came from 36 years biding his time and waiting on the right place and the right time to take the leap into the head coaching ranks. It was a great debut for Brent Venables and the new-look Sooners. You can take a look back at some of the best photos of Oklahoma’s new head coach from the UTEP game.

OU streaming platform SoonerVision on ESPN+ to launch August 1

SoonerVision on ESPN+ launches on August 1.

The much-publicized “SoonerVision on ESPN+” will finally launch on Aug. 1. No longer will Sooners fans need PPV to view nonconference matchups. From now on, Oklahoma Sooners content will be easily accessible on ESPN+.

The new home for SoonerVision was announced in May.

This deal will affect not only the football program but every varsity program at OU. Every single sport will be more accessible to the average fan. After sky-high ratings for the 2022 Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma softball might get even more publicity than it already does.

This deal with ESPN is the most expansive of its kind for a university athletics program. It includes the OU spring game, archived content and 25-plus OU basketball games.

It’s easy to wonder if OU’s move to the SEC is what got this deal going in the first place. ESPN will be the media rights holder for the SEC starting in 2024 after outbidding former rights holder CBS.

Athletic director Joe Castiglione shared the news Saturday night on social media.

If you don’t want to wait until Monday, have no fear. There’s already good Oklahoma content on the ESPN app, including a recap of the 2000 football season.

ESPN will have a bonanza of Sooners content for you to peruse now and in the future.

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What Brent Venables had to say during his first Big 12 media day press conference

The highlights of Brent Venables turn at the podium on day 2 of Big 12 media days.

The Oklahoma Sooners took their turn at Big 12 media day with Brent Venables taking to the podium and various players doing interviews as well. For Venables, it was his first time to take the stage at a conference media day session after 30 years of coaching. Before taking the Sooners’ head coaching gig, he sat in the background as the defensive coordinator, patiently waiting for his opportunity to take the right head coaching job.

And in December, when he was approached about taking over as head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, it was the job that made sense for him to make a move.

During his media session, Venables shared a lot about the program’s vision and what he likes about this current group heading into the 2022 season.

University of Oklahoma, Learfield announce 10-year agreement

OU, Learfield agree to new 10-year multimedia agreement, the University of Oklahoma announced Friday.

The University of Oklahoma is taking its next steps into the NIL era of college Athletics.

The university announced Friday that they will “expand their relationship” with their multimedia rightholder Learfield. OU and Learfield have been working together since 1994 and this new agreement will see Learfield keep control over what they already had, but they will also produce digital content for Sooners fans.

Learfield will also provide “additional NIL leadership focus and support.”

Again, Learfield will continue to oversee the services they already had before this agreement, as will the companies that they own. Ticketing, licensing, the Sooner Sports website and the Oklahoma Sooners app will all continue to be ran by Learfield’s affiliates.

Here are some words from Athletic Director Joe Castiglione on the new agreement,

“We’re pleased to finalize a ground-breaking long-term agreement with LEARFIELD – a partner we’ve trusted and leaned on for many years to help us connect with Sooner fans and grow our brand,” said Castiglione to SoonerSports.com. “As with any challenges and changes our industry experiences, we intentionally seek cutting-edge collaborations to move us forward in the marketplace. Their leadership continues to help our administration navigate through areas such as NIL, evolution in the content game and digital innovation. We look forward to their continued partnership corporately as well as through Sooner Sports Properties.”

OU alumnus Kelly Collyar has been named VP and General Manager for Learfield’s Sooner Sports Properties team, which is based in Norman.

Castiglione has had a busy few months. Back in May, OU signed a massive deal to get “Sooner Vision” on ESPN+, and now closes this deal with Learfield. “Joe C’ has done much to prepare his department as best he can for the NIL era.

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