Oklahoma Sooners fans should be thrilled about the state of the football program despite down season and its easy to see why

The Oklahoma Sooners had an uncharacteristically down 2024 season, posting just their second losing season of the 2000s. Despite that, there's plenty of reason for optimism that Oklahoma will rebound. 

Oklahoma is one of the biggest blue bloods in college football, with a rich history of tradition, prestige, and winning. So much so that The Athletic ranked the Sooners as the third-best program in college football of the 2000s. Oklahoma finished behind Alabama and Ohio State in these rankings.  

"Oklahoma was even more consistent than Ohio State until suffering two losing seasons over the past three years. No other power program comes close to the Sooners’ 13 conference titles (all in the Big 12). Bob Stoops started the century with a national title before playing for three more, and Lincoln Riley added three consecutive Playoff appearances."

On top of that, the Sooners have the third-highest win% of the 2000s, the fifth-most top-10 wins, fourth-most top-25 wins, the third-highest%  of time in the top-10 of rankings, and the second-most% of time ranked in the top-25.

Additionally, their 13 conference titles are by far the most of any other team in the country, and only one school (Ohio State) has been to more BCS/NY6 bowls in the 2000s. 

While it is a concerning sign that their only two losing seasons have been in two of the last three seasons, there are extenuating circumstances for those seasons. In 2022, Lincoln Riley decimated the team when he scampered off for USC. Oklahoma rebounded to 10-3 in 2023, before injuries and abysmal quarterback play doomed their 2024 season (and even then, the Sooners still made it to a bowl game). 

Even during a down season, the Sooners still pulled off an upset win over Alabama and were competitive till the very end against Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Missouri. 

I understand that Sooners fans are in a rut about the state of the program right now, but if we take a look at the grand scheme of things, Oklahoma stands strong among the rest of college football's giants. They're primed for a rebound back to their norm.