Tag: Owen Field

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning coming to Norman for Tennessee game

Former Tennessee QB Peyton Manning will be at Oklahoma for Sooners vs. Volunteers.

One of the most anticipated games on the 2024 schedule for the Oklahoma Sooners comes Sept. 21. It’s the first conference game in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] for OU and one of the most storied programs in college football will come to town. The Tennessee Volunteers will be in Norman, and one of their most famous alumni will apparently be there as well.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning led the Volunteers before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL draft. He told his former NFL teammate Pat McAfee on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he’ll be in attendance at [autotag]Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium[/autotag].

“I’m going to the Tennessee-Oklahoma game in Norman this year,” the two-time Super Bowl champ said. “I think it’s Oklahoma’s first [autotag]Southeastern Conference[/autotag] game, they’re playing my Tennessee Vols in Norman, not too far from Denver (where Manning lives.)”

Manning went on to say he’s excited for the Sooners and the Texas Longhorns to join the SEC and thinks they’ll both fit into the conference. He also said he was excited for the new rivalries that will be created in the league.

Oklahoma-Tennessee will be a big game for plenty of reasons, as the SEC finally comes to [autotag]Owen Field[/autotag] in conference action. Tennessee head coach [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] quarterbacked the Sooners to the national championship in 2000 (while [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] coached a suffocating defense), and was OU’s offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2014. Since being fired, he has made quite the career for himself, landing on Rocky Top, where he’s reinvigorated a sleeping giant in Knoxville.

Expect fireworks that evening in Norman. Two electric offenses will be led by first-year starters [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and Nico Iamaleava. Both were five-star recruits in the 2023 class.

Maybe one (or both) of those QBs will have a magical performance in front of one of the best quarterbacks to ever put on a chinstrap.

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Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in ESPN’s top 25 stadiums

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is one of the most iconic settings in all of sports.

College football is all about the pride, passion, and pageantry of the sport, which is unmatched by anything else. The fans, the atmospheres, and the moments can’t be topped by any other sport, college, or professional.

ESPN took the time this week to rank their Top 25 college football stadiums as the 2024 season approaches in a month and a half.

We asked 14 of our college football writers to rank the best stadiums in the sport. No parameters, no criteria. Writers were asked to submit their top 20 stadiums in order. We then awarded points: 20 for first-place votes, 19 for second and all the way down to 1 point for a stadium voted No. 20. – ESPN

The Oklahoma Sooners play in one of the best stadiums in college football, and ESPN agreed, putting them in the Top 25. [autotag]Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium[/autotag] ranked No. 24 on their list.

Here’s what ESPN’s Dave Wilson had to say about the iconic stadium:

Also known as the “Palace on the Prairie,” the Sooners’ stadium is surrounded by reminders of Oklahoma’s football glory. Outside the south end zone, there are statues of coaching legends [autotag]Bennie Owen[/autotag], [autotag]Bud Wilkinson[/autotag], [autotag]Barry Switzer[/autotag] and [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag]. On the east side, Heisman Park is packed with seven of the Sooners’ [autotag]Heisman Trophy[/autotag] winners: [autotag]Billy Vessels[/autotag] (1952), [autotag]Steve Owens[/autotag] (1969), [autotag]Billy Sims[/autotag] (1978), [autotag]Jason White[/autotag] (2003), [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag] (2008), [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] (2017) and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] (2018). Amid the Gothic architecture of the surrounding campus, “BOOMER” and “SOONER” ring out, as the Sooner Schooner glides across the field, forming one of the most quintessentially college settings in the country. – Wilson, ESPN

ESPN also gave their ranking criteria for the list, as Oklahoma finished with 40 points, two ahead of Texas‘ Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

In addition, Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium turns 100 years old this season, and the university has a number of different themes and promotions planned out for its centennial season.

The Sooners will begin the season in their home stadium on Friday, August 30th, when they take on the Temple Owls.

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ESPN’s Paul Finebaum picks crucial games for Oklahoma in 2024

Paul Finebaum has his eye on two key games for Oklahoma in their debut campaign in the SEC.

The Oklahoma Sooners are officially members of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], leaving the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] behind for greener pastures. OU will see a considerable jump in the level of competition in the new conference, with better opponents nearly every week.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum was in Norman on Monday for the SEC celebration on campus. He went on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on Tuesday, sharing his thoughts about the Sooners in the SEC.

Finebaum stated he thinks two games will be telling for Oklahoma in 2024.

“Oklahoma has two games at home that I think are critical,” Finebaum said. “It’s the Tennessee game early, and you all know what’s gonna happen when [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] shows back up here. He was the hero of the last national championship. Then, Alabama at the end.”

First, this shows the spike in the level of competition OU will face in the new league. Last year’s home games were Arkansas State, SMU, Iowa State, UCF, West Virginia and TCU. There are some fine opponents on that list, but none of the caliber of the Volunteers or the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma went 6-0 at home in 2023. [autotag]Owen Field[/autotag] will be in the national spotlight far more than it has been in the past few seasons in Big 12 play.

Second, the narratives surrounding both games are drenched in drama. When Tennessee comes to town in September, it’ll be OU’s first conference game in the SEC. Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel is Oklahoma’s most recent national-championship-winning quarterback, but he was let go after four seasons as offensive coordinator following the 2014 season. Sooner Nation’s relationship could be perceived as complicated with Heupel, but both parties ultimately benefited from the split nearly a decade ago. The Sooners and Vols played a home-and-home series in 2014 and 2015 with OU winning both games, including a classic in Knoxville.

When Alabama strolls into Norman in November, two of college football’s five biggest brands and most iconic blue bloods will meet.

The Crimson Tide and the Sooners are college football.

They’ve shaped the game with memorable coaches and players for decades upon decades. [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] and [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] will be looking for a signature win over a big-time program as two relatively unproven coaches nationally. DeBoer has coached in a national championship game, but his detractors doubt he can excel at ‘Bama. Venables won 10 games in Year 2, but the doubters don’t believe he’s unlocked what it takes to win at an elite level yet. A win for either coach would be a massive notch in his belt.

Oklahoma will host Tennessee on Sept. 21 and will face Alabama on Nov. 23. Both games will kick off in the late afternoon window or in prime time. The two big home games will certainly have College Football Playoff implications.

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Oklahoma announces celebration information for official SEC move

The Sooners are a matter of days away from officially being a member of the SEC. The university has plenty of events planned to celebrate joining OU’s new conference.

The Oklahoma Sooners will officially join the [autotag]Southeastern Conference[/autotag] on July 1. OU has been working toward this day since the summer of 2021. The university plans to celebrate the big day with plenty of activities. Details for the event can be found at SoonerSports.com.

According to the school, “The celebration will feature a full slate of fun activities for fans of all ages on OU’s Norman campus, including SEC Network programming, the athletics department’s popular summer equipment sale and open houses at the Barry Switzer Center and Love’s Field, with additional morning events in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. It will culminate with a free and family-friendly “Party In The Palace from 5-10 p.m. inside [autotag]Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium[/autotag], with live music, appearances from SEC Commissioner [autotag]Greg Sankey[/autotag], OU President [autotag]Joseph Harroz Jr.[/autotag] and OU Vice President and Director of Athletics [autotag]Joe Castiglione[/autotag] and a drone show above [autotag]Owen Field[/autotag].”

President Harroz Jr. expressed his excitement about the Sooners finally making the move to the SEC:

“Entering the Southeastern Conference marks a transformative new era for the University of Oklahoma and all of Sooner Nation,” said Harroz Jr. “This day of celebration is a tribute to our iconic traditions, relentless pursuit of excellence and the indomitable spirit of Sooner Magic. We can’t wait to bring our passion and pride to the SEC, and this event provides the perfect opportunity for the OU Family to come together and celebrate all that lies ahead.”

Castiglione also addressed the exciting time surrounding the athletic department and the school as a whole:

“This day is years in the making, so it’s appropriate for us to come together and celebrate,” added Castiglione. “We couldn’t be more excited to join the SEC. Our teams are poised for success and look forward to the competition with many of America’s most outstanding universities. At Oklahoma, we have a story to tell, and we’re invigorated by the opportunity with which we’re presented to share with the world what makes OU so special. Our resolute commitment to our student-athletes and their success and to our fans and their experience will only strengthen with this move. We can’t wait to welcome thousands of new people to our community as well as spread Sooner Magic throughout the SEC.”

In addition, the university has planned a “Race to the SEC 5K Glow,” which begins on June 30. There’s a “Midnight Madness Sale,” during which fans can get SEC-licensed merchandise, and a “Shop and Hop Challenge,” in which businesses that participate will sell OU/SEC merchandise for the first time. Each business will contribute a $25 gift card for a customer drawing.

The university has also announced that parking will be free to the public in certain areas. Students are encouraged to participate, with more details about a celebratory event featuring a musical artist scheduled near the start of the fall semester coming in the near future.

Head to SoonerSports.com for the full list of events happening June 30 and July 1 to commemorate Oklahoma moving into the SEC.

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Oklahoma makes EA Sports’ list of toughest places to play

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is one of the toughest places to play, according to “College Football 25.”

The highly-anticipated release of [autotag]EA Sports[/autotag]’ new college football video game is less than a month away. News continues to trickle out about what the game will look and feel like.

[autotag]College Football 25[/autotag] will be released on July 19, and the company has been relentlessly marketing the game on social media.

On Tuesday, “CFB 25” released their rankings of the top ten toughest places to play in college football. The Oklahoma Sooners found their way onto the list.

[autotag]Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium[/autotag] was ranked as the eighth-toughest environment in college football. Oklahoma also ranked No. 5 out of six [autotag]SEC[/autotag] teams to make the top ten.

According to EA Sports, homefield advantage will play a pivotal role in the game, as the creators try to make it as immersive and realistic as possible. It’s a pleasant surprise that playing as the Sooners on Owen Field will give players a leg up on their competition.

These rankings will certainly be met with plenty of logic and rational thinking. Surely, no one will disagree on the order of the teams included.

For comparison, Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium ranked a full eleven spots above Texas‘ Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on the list. Out of the Top 25, only three stadiums made the list that are west of the I-35 corridor. Oregon‘s Autzen Stadium, Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium and Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium claim the best environments of the country’s western half. Texas A&M‘s Kyle Field was a controversial choice to top the list at No. 1.

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How do Big 12 stadiums rank in capacity heading into 2023?

A look at how each Big 12 stadium stacks up in capacity heading into the 2023 season.

The 2023 college football season is nearly upon us. Week zero opens next Saturday. Schools in the Big 12 will begin their season in two weeks.

The league is welcoming four new teams, and four new venues into the Big 12 footprint for the season. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF join the league adding new venues.

Here’s a look at how the 14 Big 12 stadiums rank in capacity heading into 2023.