As OU enters final year in Big 12, how ready are Sooners for move to SEC in 2024?

NORMAN — OU’s final year in the Big 12 is underway.

The Sooners will make the leap to the SEC on July 1, 2024, and already plenty of attention is being paid to the move.

The 2024 SEC slate of football games already have been released, among other steps.

Here’s a look at a few of OU’s major programs based on their readiness to make the leap.

Ready to thrive

Softball

Last five seasons: 253-18 overall, 69-2 Big 12 (regular-season)

Titles/postseason: Four Big 12 regular-season titles, two Big 12 Tournament titles (out of three), four WCWS appearances, three WCWS championships, one runner-up finish

National titles won by SEC teams: None (Last by Florida in 2015)

Overview: No sport is as prepared as softball to make the move. Interest in SEC softball is high, but interest in OU softball is higher. OU will move into its new facility in 2024, its final Big 12 season, and scheduling gets easier for Patty Gasso as the conference slate in the SEC makes it less necessary to fight for big-time programs to take on the Sooners during non-conference play.

More: 'Can’t just be all muscles': How OU softball uses technology to rule the sport

Women’s gymnastics

Last five seasons: 122-6 overall, 15-0 Big 12 (regular-season)

TItles/postseason: Four Big 12 regular-season titles, three Big 12 meet titles, three national championships, one runner-up finish

National titles won by SEC teams: None (Last by Florida in 2015)

Overview: Well, maybe there’s one sport as prepared as softball. OU women’s gymnastics has turned into a dynasty under K.J. Kindler. Over the last five seasons, the only other Big 12 program to make it to nationals has been Denver, which has made two appearances. While the SEC hasn’t won a title in that span, the league has had at least three teams make nationals each year since the format change in 2019. Florida has been in the finals each of the last three seasons. There’s no reason to think the Sooners can’t keep up their current run in the SEC. Like softball, scheduling figures to get a bit easier, though Kindler has expressed a desire to continue to be aggressive with her non-conference scheduling.

More: Tramel's ScissorTales: Would SEC consider NFL-style scheduling after OU football arrives?

Ready to compete

Women’s basketball

Last five seasons: 83-60 overall, 46-45 Big 12

Titles/postseason: One regular-season title, two NCAA Tournament appearances

National titles won by SEC teams: Two (LSU 2023, South Carolina, 2022)

National titles won by Big 12 teams: One (Baylor 2019)

Overview: Jennie Baranczyk has the Sooners on solid footing once again, with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. It remains to be seen how she’ll perform without Taylor Robertson, Madi Williams and Ana Llanusa on the roster, but there’s no indication that there will be a complete drop off at least. SEC women’s basketball has been strong of late, with South Carolina making the Final Four field each of the last three seasons — winning the title in 2022 — and LSU winning it all this year. The Sooners will need to continue with their strong recruiting, and develop those players, but they figure to be in good position to do that.

More: Who is former OU football administrator Thad Turnipseed? 'Thad is a program builder'

Men’s basketball

Last five seasons: 89-70 overall, 37-52 Big 12

Titles/postseason: Second-round NCAA Tournament twice, second-round NIT once

National titles won by SEC teams: None (Last by Kentucky in 2012)

National titles won by Big 12 teams: Two (Kansas 2022, Baylor 2021)

Overview: This is one where things get easier with the move. The Big 12 has been a meat-grinder league, with quality at the top and plenty of depth. That’s helped some teams get to the NCAA Tournament with middle records — including the Sooners twice in the last five seasons — but has made it difficult to excel. It doesn’t exactly get easier with Cincinnati and Houston added into the mix. Since OU’s last Final Four appearance in 2016, only Auburn (2019) has made it to the Final Four out of the SEC. The league hasn’t had a champion in more than a decade while Baylor and Kansas have each won a title in the last three seasons. The final Big 12 season is a critical one for Porter Moser’s squad, but if they’re able to build momentum, it’s not hard to envision success in relatively short order after the move.

More: OU men's basketball: Tracking the Sooners' arrivals, departures via the transfer portal

Football

Last five seasons: 50-15 overall, 32-12 Big 12

Titles/postseason: Big 12 regular-season titles in 2018-19, Big 12 Championship Game titles in 2018-20, two College Football Playoff semifinal appearances

National titles won by SEC teams: Four (Georgia 2021-22, Alabama 2020, LSU 2019)

Overview: OU had been dominant in the Big 12 until the last two seasons, but the Sooners failed to make the Big 12 Championship Game in 2021 and then plummeted to a sub-.500 finish after dropping the Cheez-It Bowl last season. But there are some positive signs — recruiting remains on a strong track and the Sooners have made a significant upgrade when it comes to personnel to bring them in line with some of the SEC’s top programs. The SEC’s depth gets talked up, but it's really at the top where the conference shines. The league has won the last four titles and six of the last eight, with Alabama and Georgia playing each other in the title game twice in that span. While it will be virtually impossible to replicate their success in the Big 12, the Sooners should be able to be in the mix for SEC Championship Games and College Football Playoff appearances in the league. But they’ll need to build some on-field momentum in 2023 behind one of the weakest schedules in program history.

More: Which players have committed to Oklahoma football's 2024 recruiting class?

Still has some work

Baseball

Last five seasons: 151-107 overall, 48-48 Big 12

Titles/postseason: 2022 Big 12 Tournament champions, two NCAA appearances, 2022 College World Series runner-up

National titles won by SEC teams: Four (LSU 2023, Ole Miss 2022, Mississippi State 2021, Vanderbilt 2019)

Overview: As dominant as the SEC has been in football, it has been even more dominant in baseball. The last non-SEC team to win the national championship was Oregon State in 2018. And twice in the last three seasons, the Men’s College World Series Championship Series has featured two SEC programs squaring off — including LSU’s victory over Florida this season.

Nine different SEC programs have made appearances in the MWCS in the last four tournaments. The Big 12 has had four, and one of the other programs to appear — Texas, twice — is making the move to the SEC along with the Sooners. While the Sooners’ 2022 run to the championship series was thrilling, OU will need some upgrades — on both the playing and facilities sides — to be positioned to compete week-in and week-out in a brutal SEC.

More: OU baseball: Tracking Sooners' arrivals, departures via transfer portal in 2023 offseason

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: As OU enters final year in Big 12, how ready are Sooners for SEC?