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Oklahoma football: OU’s 3 toughest SEC opponents in near term

By John Makuch

January 1, 2018; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (9) catches a pass against Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Tyrique McGhee (26) during the second half in the 2018 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2018; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (9) catches a pass against Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Tyrique McGhee (26) during the second half in the 2018 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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MIAMI, FL – The Oklahoma Sooners line up against the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – The Oklahoma Sooners line up against the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

1. Alabama

This program needs absolutely no introduction. The reigning national champions have been led by arguably the greatest head coach in the history of college football since 2007 and never looked back.

Alabama has won six national championships under head coach Nick Saban and is the premier destination for all recruits across the country. They are the program that every program aspires to be in this current landscape.

The other issue is Oklahoma football  could end up on the same side of the conference as Alabama, so this is a guaranteed game that Oklahoma could easily be the underdog in most years.

Despite this, though, Oklahoma maintains the all-time advantage with a 3-1-2 record against Bama. The 2014 Sugar Bowl is a pleasant memory for Oklahoma football fans, but the most recent game is quite the opposite.

The Sooners, led by Kyler Murray, found themselves outmatched in the 2018 College Football Playoff game at the Orange Bowl. Oklahoma went down 28-0 by the beginning of the 2nd quarter, which proved to be too much to come back from.

Oklahoma fought back gallantly, closing the margin in the second half, but they could get no closer than the 11-point final outcome, 34-45. The defense was the issue in this game as the Sooners were unable to get third-down stops or slow down the explosive Alabama offense.

The Sooners, with new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, have completely turned around this defense with a “Speed D” mentality. One can only wonder how this game would have gone with a defense like OU is expected to put on the field this season.

The future recruiting classes for Oklahoma are very promising, specifically 2023, and that may be enough to put a competitive team together that is up to par with Bama.

Coach Saban is not getting any younger, and at the age of 69, his retirement is most likely coming sooner rather than later.

With the Sooners potentially joining the SEC as late as 2025, Saban may be in his final season or retired already. Meanwhile, Lincoln Riley is only 38, believe it or not, so Oklahoma should continue to have football success as long as he remains head coach.

Having to play Alabama is not all doom and gloom for Oklahoma, and especially with a 12-team playoff on the horizon.

As long as Alabama remains one of the top teams in the nation, a regular-season loss to the Crimson Tide will not be as fatal as losing to other teams over the course of the season. As long as Oklahoma, or anybody who loses to the Crimson Tide, is able to take care of business against everyone else on the schedule, losing to a team like Alabama isn’t that big a deal until Playoff time.

These three teams will be the Sooners’ biggest obstacles moving to the SEC in the near term, but given what we know about the OU football program today and moving forward, the Sooners should be ready to handle it and with continuing success. But the level of competition is sure to be greater, so 11 and 12-win seasons will be much harder to come by.

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