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Oklahoma will be transitioning to the highly competitive Southeastern Conference in the upcoming 2024 college football season. Considering the team's schedule ahead of their first season in the league, they are likely to be the underdog in more games than usual. The Sooners will face the likes of Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas.
Former Oklahoma center Gabe Ikard said it's a “foreign feeling” for the fans ahead of next season. Speaking on an installment of “The Next Round,” the college football analyst noted that he’s never experienced a season like this since he started following the program.
“It’s a foreign feeling to Oklahoma fans, looking at the schedule ... I think right now, they’ll be dogs in at least five games. I don’t think that has happened in my lifetime.
“I went back and looked at it and I couldn't find it. Since the year 2000, OU has not been an underdog in more than three games in any season. The program has had an incredible amount of sustained success in the last 25 years.”
Oklahoma's transition was about moving to an elite league
Oklahoma moved to the SEC alongside Texas in a bid to play in a more competitive conference that promises better financial rewards. With the kind of schedule the team is set to play in its first season, Ikard believes it is not something farfetched for a move like that.
“This is what we signed up for, that's kind of my thought process," Ikard said. "The schedule is unlike anything we've seen, maybe ever, for Oklahoma football but that's what this transition was about. It was about being in the elite conference of college football.
“A schedule like this comes with that, ‘It just means more.’ That's what I'm told. And you look at this schedule, it's going to be as difficult as OU has played in my lifetime.”
There’s been a lot of questions on whether the Sooner will be able to compete in the SEC since the move was announced in 2021. The conference boasts some of the best teams in the college football landscape and it’s uncertain how the program will keep up with the competition.
The 2024 season will be a huge challenge for the Sooners. Nonetheless, they are expected to remain a top team in the realm considering their reputation.
