The Oklahoma Sooners have been predicted to finish ninth in the Southeastern Conference by Brad Crawford of 247Sports.
Crawford predicted final records and finishing order for all 16 teams in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] for 247Sports. He picked OU to finish 8-4, landing in ninth place in the conference.
Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC could start in impressive fashion if the Sooners handle Tennessee at home, then topple Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium to conclude a perfect opening month. The pressure of being unbeaten and ranked inside the top 10 could wear on Oklahoma thereafter, beginning with [autotag]Red River[/autotag] and then going through the SEC gauntlet late against a bevy of national championship contenders. By the time the dust settles on the 2024 season, Oklahoma will be out of the SEC title race, but should be in for a respectable finish inside the top 25. – Crawford, 247Sports
At first glance, a ninth-place finish in the SEC seems like a slight toward the program in Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. But digging deeper into the prediction, Crawford has the Sooners losing to Texas, Missouri, Alabama and LSU to finish 4-4 in league play and 8-4 overall. For context, that’s a game behind Mizzou in eighth and the same record as Auburn in 10th. Crawford’s predictions come with wins over Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina and Ole Miss. The new SEC is so loaded that Crawford believes the ninth-best team in the league will still finish respectably in the top 25.
An 8-1 start with an 0-3 finish would certainly not please Sooner fans, but 8-4 in the SEC is a lot different than 8-4 in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. The schedule Oklahoma will face this year is the toughest the program has seen in some time. Every week in conference play will be against a team with better, equal or slightly less talent than the Sooners.
Crawford has the Texas Longhorns finishing first in the conference at 11-1 and heading to the SEC title game.
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