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Oklahoma Football: Six Captivating Sugar Bowl Story Lines

By Chip Rouse

Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; A general view of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; A general view of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma football played its first opponent from the Southeastern Conference 83 years ago. Since that time, the Sooners have faced an SEC team 22 times, but only once has the opponent been the Auburn Tigers.

Nov 19, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Oklahoma Sooners fans cheer before their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Oklahoma Sooners fans cheer before their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

The one time Oklahoma and Auburn faced each other on the football field was 45 years ago, in the 1972 Sugar Bowl, and the Sooners were dominant in that contest, winning by a 40-22 margin.

That is just one of the intriguing story lines surrounding the second all-time meeting of these two schools with deep-rooted football heritages. Here are a half-dozen more:

  • For the past two decades, no conference has been more dominant in the sport of football than the SEC. In the 1971 season, however, it was the forerunner of the Big 12, the Big Eight Conference, that ruled the college football world. The last time Oklahoma and Auburn faced each other, in the 1972 Sugar Bowl, the top three teams in the nation were all from the Big Eight. Nebraska won the national championship that season and finished No. 1 in the country. The Cornhuskers were followed by No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 3 Colorado.
  • This is the eighth time the Oklahoma Sooners have made an appearance in the Sugar Bowl, the most of any team not in the SEC. OU is 5-2 in its seven previous Sugar Bowl games. The Sooners .714 winning percentage in the Sugar Bowl is the best of the 11 teams that have made at least five Sugar Bowl appearances. Auburn has been to the Sugar Bowl six times previously, one fewer than Oklahoma.
  • Auburn has faced two top-10 teams this season, including two teams in this year’s College Football Playoff (Alabama and Clemson). Oklahoma will be the third top-10 opponent of the Tigers this season. Auburn was 0-2 in those games. The Sooners have faced three teams ranked in the top 10 at the time the game was played (Ohio State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia), and won two of the three.
  • The Sugar Bowl matchup between Oklahoma and Auburn will feature the country’s third best offense (OU averages 557 yards per game) against the nation’s 20th-best defense (Auburn allows 348 yards per game).
  • Since losing to Ohio State on Sept. 17, Oklahoma has run off nine consecutive wins. That ties the Sooners with Penn State for the third longest active winning streak among FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams. Only Alabama (25) and Western Michigan (15) have longer active win streaks.
  • Junior running back Samaje Perine is 83 yards away from setting a new Oklahoma career rushing record. That’s saying something considering the number of outstanding running backs the Sooners have had over the years. The current record of 4,118 yards is held by former OU All-American and Heisman Trophy-winner Billy Sims.
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