“Nothing Like It” | Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette

DALLAS — Over a 100-year span from 1920 to 2020, Oklahoma’s football program won 48 conference championships.

That included 34 in the Big Eight and 14 in the Big 12.

Adding to that championship total now that the Sooners have moved from the Big 12 to the SEC along with Texas doesn’t seem easy.

Oklahoma is picked to finish eighth out of 16 SEC teams in a preseason media poll.

“It goes without saying, the SEC is a deep, incredibly competitive league,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said at SEC media days. “Unlike any other in college football and everything, everything about this league is about parity. It’s about competitive depth.

“And it’s a one-possession league as we’ve looked at it from the outside in. You have incredibly challenging places.

“Every member, top to bottom, is dedicated to the excellence that this conference stands for. And so as a football program, being in our first year, we look forward to the challenge.”

Along with all those conference titles, Oklahoma has won seven national championships and has seven Heisman Trophy winners.

But are the Sooners really ready for the SEC?

Oklahoma has been to the College Football Playoff four times, but is 0-4 with three of those semifinal losses coming to SEC teams.

The Sooners lost to Georgia 54-48 in double overtime in the 2017 season, to Alabama 45-34 in 2018 and to LSU 63-28 in 2019. They lost to Clemson 37-17 in their first playoff appearance in 2015 .

Lincoln Riley coached Oklahoma for its three SEC playoff losses, and those results may have had something to do with him leaving for Southern Cal after the 2021 season, knowing the Sooners will soon be playing in the SEC.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione took an obvious shot at Riley during an SEC Network appearance on July 1 during a celebration in Norman, Okla., welcoming the Sooners to their new conference.

“I’ll tell you, without reservation, every coach I’ve talked to has been excited,” Castiglione said of the move to the SEC. “And you know what? The ones who weren’t aren’t here anymore.”

Venables, a former Oklahoma assistant who, as Clemson’s defensive coordinator, helped the Tigers win national championships in 2017 and 2019 with wins at Alabama, made it clear he has no reservations about joining the SEC.

“As competitors, as a football program, Oklahoma is not intimidated,” Venables said. “We are running towards the SEC. I think it goes without saying.

“We’ve been looking forward for the last few years to this partnership, to be part of an amazing conference, the best conference in college football.

“How ready are we? We’re excited for the challenge. I think you have to go through it.”

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, an Oklahoma assistant since 2018-20, was asked at media days about the adjustment to the Sooners coming from the Big 12.

“From being in other conferences — and coaching in multiple leagues in my career — it’s the size and depth and athleticism that you see on the line of scrimmage every week in this conference,” Beamer said. “I remember being at Oklahoma, coaching tight ends, and there can be one or two guys on the opposing defensive line that you have to be aware of.

“Like, ‘This guy can completely destroy your game if you don’t have a plan for him.’ But then you get into this league, it’s not one or two, it’s six or seven every Saturday on the line of scrimmage.

“Then it’s just the places you go in this league. Every Saturday there is an event in that city. There are 80,000, 90,000 or 100,000 people every Saturday in this league.

“There’s nothing like it. Just the competition, the spectacle, it’s special.”

Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold, a 5-star recruit from Denton, Texas, said he is “extremely confident” in the Sooners’ SEC readiness.

“I think I can speak for everyone on the team that we’re all super excited to come out and play this SEC schedule,” Arnold said. “It’s a tough one for sure, but we like the challenge. We want the challenge. We wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Arnold played in seven games last season, including six off the bench, and completed 44 of 69 passes for 563 yards and 4 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.

When Oklahoma starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon after the regular season, Arnold made his first start in the Alamo Bowl against Arizona.

Arnold had mixed results as he completed 25 of 46 passes for 361 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also had 3 interceptions as Arizona rallied to win 38-24, outscoring the Sooners by 17 -0 in the fourth quarter.

“Adversity is going to hit one way or another,” Arnold said. “I just know I have to keep a level head.

“I have to learn from these opportunities and not really beat myself up about it is probably the biggest learning point I could take from it.”

Venables said Arnold is ready to be a team leader and the face of the program.

“The thing I feel the best about and have the most peace of mind is his ability to be able to handle the highs and the lows,” Venables said. “The challenges, the success, the failure that a season will bring you.

“No one is more competent or more prepared, even though he’s a young player. And we have to be, in some ways, the beacons for him. That’s why they call us ‘coach.’ But his skill, his talent, his toughness, his instincts, his ability to lead people, to bring out the best in people, without a doubt, he’s ready for his opportunity and his moment.”

Oklahoma senior linebacker Danny Stutsman, a three-year starter with 268 career tackles, and junior free safety Billy Bowman, who had six interceptions last season and returned three for touchdowns, are first-team All-American selections -SEC from the preseason.

“When I came here, Oklahoma had won six straight conference championships,” Bowman said of the Sooners’ Big 12 run from 2015-20. “Since I’ve been here, I haven’t been to a single championship game. I want to win a championship.

“I’ve been to the College Football Playoff four times. I haven’t been there either. So I want to check that out, too.”

The only familiar SEC opponent for Oklahoma is Texas, who the Sooners will next play in Dallas.

The Sooners’ first SEC game is at home against Tennessee and coach Josh Heupel, a former Oklahoma star quarterback on the 2000 national championship team.

Oklahoma’s first SEC road game is at Auburn. Other SEC opponents include Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and South Carolina.

“It’s a conference that’s all about earning what you get, and I think going through it for a season, you’ll realize that,” Venables said. “You will realize what was good, what was not good. The areas of your program, your roster, that need improvement so you can match up and have an opportunity to compete for championships.”