3 reasons why the Oklahoma Sooners may struggle in the SEC after moving from the Big 12

Oklahoma are now officially a member of the Southeastern Conference and a huge challenge awaits the program. The SEC is undoubtedly the most competitive league in college football and the Sooners have to find a way to keep up. Brent Venable is aware of the tricky path ahead.

"Everything matters. There's a very small margin for error," Venables said. "There are so many things that decide games in this league, and you better be ready for all of them.”

“How ready are we? We're going to find out. Until you're in the middle of it, you don't really truly know. So it would just be conjecture on my part. As I said, we'll find out.”

With a lot of anticipation ahead of Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC, here's a look at three reasons why the Sooners are bound to experience some struggles in the conference.

Three reasons why the Oklahoma Sooners may struggle in the SEC

#1, Stronger Opposition

Oklahoma were a dominant program during their days in the Big 12, boasting six of the last nine Big 12 championships. However, the SEC is a whole new level entirely as the team will have to face some of the best programs in the college football landscape.

Ahead of their first season in the SEC, the Sooners are projected to be the underdog in at least five of their matchups in the upcoming season. They’ve not been underdogs in more than three games in any season over the past few decades.

#2, A team in transition

Oklahoma exerted their dominance in the Big 12 during the days of Lincoln Riley. The program won four Big 12 championships in his five-year tenure in Norman. However, the run couldn’t continue under Brent Venables as the Sooners recorded a losing season in 2022.

While the program experienced significant progress under Venables in the 2023 college football season, they remain a team in transition. Their route back to the pinnacle of the landscape becomes a tougher one with their induction into the SEC.

#3, Hostile game atmosphere

Oklahoma fans are known for their passion as they travel in thousands for road games. The Sooners fans have, on many occasions, dominated home fans and this has often helped their team.

Those days are gone as that won’t happen in the SEC. The SEC teams have larger stadiums that create a hostile atmosphere during the matchups. Without a doubt, this could take some getting used to, especially in their early days in the conference.