The Oklahoma Sooners are officially members of the SEC, leaving the Big 12 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 that 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 Josh Heupel 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 that 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 to the caliber of the Volunteers or the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma went 6-0 at home in 2023. Owen Field 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 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 have ultimately benefitted 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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-paul-finebaum-picks-crucial-224427505.html
Author : Sooners Wire
Publish date : 2024-07-02 22:44:27
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