Gotta Earn it

[WishBone]

When news first broke three years ago that the Oklahoma Sooners were leaving the Big 12 and moving to the SEC, fans were excited for new matchups and the challenge of a tougher schedule. This past December when the schedules were made official, OU certainly wasn’t done any favors by the conference. Their inaugural schedule in the SEC is a brutal one.

The Sooners were picked to finish eighth in the SEC by the media following SEC media days. It’s certainly not the first time that OU has been doubted coming into a season, but seeing the eight next to their name in a conference standings list is jarring, to say the least.

But according to Josh Pate, a college football expert for 247Sports, Oklahoma is right at home in needing to prove the doubters wrong. The host of “The Late Kick with Josh Pate” explained the unique attitude of the Sooner fanbase, while also laying out where he thinks OU’s pivotal point of the season is while on “The Next Round,” an SEC-focused podcast.

“There are some fanbases out there that claim that they want you to doubt them and disrespect them, but as soon as you do, they trash you,” Pate said. “Oklahoma’s folks actually do love this stuff. Oklahoma’s folks have gotten so used to being doubted every year against Texas, even though they’re the better program and have been for a while, they actually embrace that stuff.”

Pate went on to explain that if he was affiliated with the OU program or fanbase, he’d have faith in what the folks in charge of the storied football program are doing. He thinks Sooner fans are accustomed to feeling like their team is being undervalued nationally.

“Go in there and earn it is their attitude. I’d feel the same way,” Pate said.

Then Pate proceeded to plant his flag on a crucial portion of Oklahoma’s schedule in 2024. The Sooners host Tennessee on September 21 before a trip to Auburn on September 28. Following that up are a bye week and the Red River Shootout matchup on October 12th.

“That Week 4 game against Tennessee … that’s my sleeper game of the year,” Pate said. “They’ve got Week 4 against Tennessee, they go to Auburn Week 5. That’s their season, before they ever play Texas. That two-week stretch determines whether they’re gonna be a real factor in this thing (the SEC title picture) or not.”


Oklahoma’s schedule is certainly a snake pit this season, and it won’t get any easier in 2025. But, breaking it up into mini-seasons can be a way to help fans stay optimistic about taming the daunting task in front of Brent Venables’ team.

If Oklahoma can navigate this portion of the season that Pate thinks is pivotal in Year 3 under Venables and be 5-0 heading to Dallas to face the Longhorns, the Sooners could set themselves up for success in their first season in the SEC.