Is Oklahoma really just the 8th best team in SEC? We'll soon find out

I'm going to get right to the point, even if it hurts a little to do so. For all of you who have been on the bandwagon of doom ever since it was announced that Oklahoma was leaving the cushy confines of the Big 12 and taking its ball to play with the so-called "big boys" of the SEC, I say, don't give up the farm just yet.

I'm really growing tired of hearing how the historically relevant and highly decorated Oklahoma football program is not good enough to win games in the SEC like it has done for most of the past 25 years in dominating the lightly regarded Big 12.

The last time I checked, the Sooners have more all-time wins (944), more national championships (7), more 11-win seasons (27) and more consensus All-Americans (82) than every SEC team not named Alabama. OU also has four more Heisman Trophy winners than any SEC school (Alabama has four Heisman winners and Auburn and LSU have three).

Not including the three former Big 12 teams (Texas, Missouri and Texas A&M) that are now members of the SEC, Oklahoma has a football record of 22-13-2 all-time, a .622 winning percentage, against teams from the SEC. If you go ahead and factor in the three former Big 12 schools, the Sooners own a 166-100-7 (.623) record against teams that now make up the SEC.

While these historical facts are indisputable, it is also a fact that Oklahoma made three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances (2017-19 seasons), all three under head coach Lincoln Riley. All three games were against teams from the SEC in the national semifinal round. The Sooners lost all three games, yielding 45 points or more in all three contests. Those Oklahoma teams were built for offense and with the notion that we can outscore you regardless of how many points we give up on defense. Therefore defense was a secondary (no pun intended) consideration.

Those Oklahoma teams under Riley were nowhere near ready for the SEC and to play an SEC brand of football. It's been rumored that this was a big reason why Riley decided to jump town while the gettin' was good.

The Oklahoma team that begins play in the SEC this season is not the same Sooner team that played under Riley. From Day 1 when Brent Venables returned to the OU football family, taking over the reins from Riley, the primary charge has been to get the Sooners back on the winning track and construct a team and a culture that is ready to play at a high competitive level and contend in the conference considered the best in college football.

The strength of the 2024 OU football team has switched sides. The Sooner defensive unit has the players, the physical size, talent and toughness and the scheme to be not just a good defense but one of the best in the SEC, if not the country.

Led by Preseason All-SEC First-Team selections LB Danny Stutsman and S Billy Bowman, the once maligned but revamped and retooled Oklahoma defense is now as much of a factor in winning games for the Sooners as the still highly potent Oklahoma offense. The ability to close out close games will be the biggest indicator of how good this Sooner team can be in the coming season.

Let me put it this way, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the Oklahoma defensive performance -- points allowed, sacks/pressures, third-down stops and red-zone efficiency -- is as much if not more responsible for the Sooners' win total in the 2024 season. And that's saying something with an offense that is still capable of taking over a game.

All indications are Team 130 of Oklahoma football is ready to meet the formidable challenge that lies ahead in the SEC. One college football analyst predicted that the Sooners would be fortunate to split 12 games, given their difficult schedule, especially during conference play in October and November, and the uncertainty of a patchwork offensive line made up almost entirely of transfers. Another nationally known analyst believes this OU team is capable of winning nine games.

The FBS head coaches who make up the voting panel for the Coaches Poll Top 25 have placed Oklahoma No. 16 in the country to begin the 2024 season. Yet, the Preseason SEC Media Poll has the Sooners as the eighth best team in the SEC this season. That speaks to the daunting task that lies ahead for OU in its inaugural SEC season.

The Sooners don't have to play No, 1 Georgia this season, but six of the seven teams picked to finish ahead of Oklahoma are on the Sooners' 2024 schedule. As much as this poses an imposing challenge, however, it also presents a golden opportunity to defy the odds as well as the OU critics.

Who knows how many games Oklahoma will win this season? We won't know that until the actual games are played.

Regardless how many games Oklahoma is actually able to put in the win column this season, this Sooner team is definitely on an upward trajectory -- in terms of the recruitment of elite offensive AND defensive talent, player development, coaching excellence and building and sustaining a championship mindset and culture -- and will get better each and every season until it is contending at the very top of the SEC, just as Oklahoma has done throughout its storied football history.