For Oklahoma In the SEC, One Big Thing is Usually the Other Team — Like Ole Miss

Ready or not, here they come.

When the Southeastern Conference knocked on the front gates of Owen Field last September, the Oklahoma football team was not ready — not SEC-ready, that is. Not until November, anyway.

We’ll know for certain six weeks hence, but for now, it seems, the Sooners are ready to take on college football’s best conference.

Sooner Nation will be ready when No. 8 Ole Miss comes to Norman to take on No. 13 OU.

The blue blood fan base that was subjected to so many one-sided games in the Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12 Conference forever has certainly shown up and shown out when needed since OU joined the SEC last year. 

Against Tennessee and Alabama in 2024, electricity was in the air — and smoke, and fireworks, and flashing LEDs, and thunderous music — every time OU fans rose to their feet, and they’ve kept the vibe going in 2025 with oppressive turnouts for both Michigan and Auburn this season that shook the very foundation of Memorial Stadium.

Through history (see graphic below), having a top-10 opponent on the OU campus wasn’t exactly commonplace. In the 50 years between Barry Switzer’s takeover in 1973 to the Sooners’ final season in the Big 12 in 2023, it happened only 25 times — and 11 of those were Nebraska (OU won six of those; five others were non-conference opponents).

But it has happened three times so far in the 1 1/2 seasons OU has been a member of the Southeastern Conference — and could happen again next month.

Last year, two top-10 opponents (No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Alabama) descended on Norman. Before 2024, the last time two top-10 teams played at OU was 1995, when Howard Schnellenberger’s Sooner squad was launched by both Colorado and Kansas by identical 38-17 scores. It also happened in 1971 (No. 1 Nebraska and No. 9 Colorado) and 1966 (No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 4 Nebraska) — and that’s it. 

If current No. 15 Missouri (6-1) stays hot, the Tigers could be a top-10 team when they visit the Sooners on Nov. 22, and would give Oklahoma two top-10 opponents at home in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. 

The Sooners are 15-12 in the 27 games since 1973 in which a top-10 team set up at the corner of Lindsey Street and Jenkins Avenue — but 13-7 when OU comes in ranked in the top 25.

Only nine times in that 50-year Switzer-to-SEC stretch did a conference opponent not named Nebraska visit Norman. 

The Big Eight was good, but it was always the Big Two Plus One — an Oklahoma State or a Colorado or a Missouri would rise up every once in a while and finish third. 

The Big 12 was good but it was also a Big Two — OU and Texas won 18 of the 28 league titles and nine out of 11 between 2000 and 2010 — but the league was more spread around with Kansas State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU and Baylor making runs at the national title but always falling short. 

That’s not how the SEC is built. The Big Ten owns the last two national championships, but the SEC won 13 of the last 17 before that — a streak that started after Texas’ 2005 national title would be the Big 12’s last, now 20 years ago.

The Big 12 came close again in 2008 (Oklahoma) and 2009 (Texas), but didn’t play in a national championship game again until TCU got the league’s first playoff win in 2022. (The Frogs lost the title game 65-7 to Georgia.)

Meanwhile, five different SEC schools — Florida, LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia — have won national titles since 2006. 

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is trying to make the Rebels the sixth. They come into Saturday at 6-1 overall and 3-1 in SEC play, having suffered their first defeat last week at Georgia.

“Boy, they've been impressive, watching them play,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Really got great, great respect for how they play.”

While Kiffin showed disinterest in having Oklahoma on the schedule every year as one of three annual opponents — he basically said the programs have no history and nothing in common — Venables bit off a different flavor to describe a series the SEC is hoping to turn into a rivalry.

“Yeah, it's great,” Venables nodded. “Whatever name would come out of your mouth, I'd say it's great. It's a really good conference. Everybody's gonna present their own challenges. So, I think it's great.”