What could the Oklahoma Sooners’ 2024 schedule look like in the SEC?
At their spring meetings in Destin, Florida, the SEC decided to continue their use of an eight-game schedule for the 2024 season. It was one of the bigger debates at hand for a conference that’s been at the forefront of college football for some time.
Settling on an eight-game schedule, the SEC put in several provisions for how the league members should schedule nonconference games. Namely, each team would schedule at least one Power Five team. That could prove problematic for the Sooners.
Oklahoma has just two nonconference games scheduled for the 2024 season. The Sooners will play Temple and Tulane. Georgia would have been on the slate, but after Oklahoma and Texas announced they would join the SEC, the conference directed Georgia to cancel its nonconference game with the Sooners.
So that leaves a hole in the schedule. Because the Sooners have just two nonconference games scheduled, they’ll have to find two more games. Perusing future nonconference schedules, we found a pair of games that could make a lot of sense if Joe Castiglione can work his athletic director magic to make it happen.
Here’s a look at what the Sooners’ 2024 schedule could look like when it gets released on July 14 on the SEC network.
Aug. 31, 2024 vs. Temple Owls
The Oklahoma Sooners open the 2024 season with the Temple Owls. Oklahoma is 1-1 vs. the Owls, and Temple owns the last win, a 14-7 decision in 1942. Recent seasons have been tough sledding for Temple; it has gone 3-9 each of the last two seasons.
Sept. 7, 2024: vs. Houston Cougars
This was the date originally slotted for the Georgia Bulldogs. With the move to the SEC, the home-and-home series with the defending national championships was canceled. Now that Oklahoma knows it’ll play just an eight-game conference schedule, it has a pair of open nonconference dates.
Given the requirement that each SEC team is required to play at least one Power Five or major independent, the Sooners have to find a way to get a Power Five team on their schedule.
The Houston Cougars have two nonconference games on the schedule at the moment. They last played Oklahoma in 2019, a 49-31 win for the Sooners. There’s a recent relationship with the athletic departments that could help Oklahoma satisfy its Power Five nonconference opponent.
Sept. 14, 2024: vs. Tulane Green Wave
Oklahoma and Tulane have only played twice. Both games have come since 2017, and both were Oklahoma wins. Tulane has become one of the better Group of Five schools in recent years, creating buzz around the school when people discuss expansion.
The Green Wave gave the Sooners a scare in 2021 when they rallied from a big halftime deficit to make it a five-point game at the end.
Sept. 21, 2024: at Arkansas Razorbacks
What better way to kick off Oklahoma’s time in the SEC than a trip to Fayetteville to begin building what could be a really fun regional rivalry? Even if it’s just two games every four years, Oklahoma-Arkansas is going to provide a great deal of fun for fans with the short travel distance between the two schools. No school in the SEC is closer to Norman than Arkansas. The two sides haven’t played since a 10-3 Oklahoma win in 2002.
Sept. 28, 2024: vs. Georgia Bulldogs
The cancellation of the Georgia series was a bummer. We’re going to presume the SEC gets the Bulldogs to Norman early in the Sooners’ SEC tenure to make up for the canceled nonconference game.
Oct. 5, 2024: vs. Kentucky Wildcats
There are several Oklahoma ties throughout the conference, but none is closer to home than Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops. Mark never spent time coaching in Norman, but as brother to Bob and Mike, Mark is someone Sooner fans have will an appreciation for.
Oct. 12, 2024: vs. Texas Longhorns (Cotton Bowl, Dallas)
Whatever the SEC schedule looks like in 2024 and beyond, one thing is certain, the conference isn’t going to miss out on OU-Texas every year and the interest it brings. This game has been played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas since 1932, and there’s no reason to change things up. Having the game during the State Fair of Texas adds to the buzz and buildup of one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.
Oct. 19, 2024: Bye Week
After going to the Cotton Bowl and seven weeks into the season, it feels like a great time to give the Sooners a bye week.
Oct. 26, 2024: at Ole Miss Rebels
Jeff Lebby gets a chance to return to his old stomping grounds with his Oklahoma Sooners offense to face the Ole Miss Rebels. The Sooners are 0-1 all-time against the Rebels. Year 1 in the SEC feels like a good time to right that wrong.
Nov. 2, 2024: at Florida Gators
When the SEC was considering a nine-game conference schedule with three permanent opponents, there was talk Florida would be one of the three, along with Texas and Missouri.
So why not put them together in a late-season matchup in 2024.
Bob Stoops was a huge part of both teams’ success. He was the defensive coordinator at Florida when the Gators won the national championship in 1997.
Nov. 9, 2024: vs. Texas A&M Commerce
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
SEC schools love to schedule late-season tuneup games with Football Championship Subdivision opponents. Texas A&M Commerce of the Southland Conference has just three nonconference games on its 2024 calendar. Looks like there’s room for one more.
Nov. 16, 2024: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Let’s go ahead and welcome back Shane Beamer, a beloved former assistant from his time with the Oklahoma Sooners. This would mark the first meeting between the two programs in the history of the sport.
Nov. 23, 2024: at Missouri Tigers
The Oklahoma Sooners and the Missouri Tigers have a history 96 games long dating back before their days in the Big 8. But the two haven’t played since 2011. It’s not a rivalry in the same sense that OU-Texas or even Bedlam are, but given the relative regional interest in the matchup and the history, this is a game that has rivalry potential. The Red River Showdown will not move out of the second weekend in October, so we’ll put the Tigers vs. Sooners during rivalry week.
Nov. 30, 2024: SEC Championship Game
Every year in the SEC is going to be a challenge. The conference is tough and each week will be a gantlet. Conference title game appearances will be tougher to come by, but the Sooners should still contend for the College Football Playoff when it expands to 12 teams in 2024.
Presumably, 2024 will be Jackson Arnold’s first year as a starter. If all goes well, the defense will be ready to roll to take some of the pressure off the five-star quarterback.
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