Oklahoma football: Sooners' 2024 season opener moved to Friday Night Lights

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

The 2024 Oklahoma football season will open at home on Friday night, August 30, instead of Saturday as originally scheduled.

The game will be televised on ESPN at 6 p.m. CT and will be the Sooners debut as a member of the Southeast Conference after a 125-year run in the Big 12 and all of its previous iteratons.

In a statement released by the Oklahoma athletic department, athletic director Joe Castiglione said OU was asked to consider opening up the new season by a day so ESPN could televise the Sooners first game as a member of the SEC.

"It's a unique and exciting opportunity for us," Castiglione said, "as it will be our first Friday night game in the history of Gaylord Family -- Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and will give our team tremendous visibility nationally."

The OU athletic director added that given the evening kick off, it will give the players and fans a break with the cooler temperatures than in the game had been played on Saturday afternoon.

Oklahoma has played 16 regular-season on a Friday since World War II. Ten of those Friday games are against Nebraska, including all six losses. The Sooners are 5-0 all-time, however, in games played on Friday night in the regular season. All were road games.

The Sooners have won 18 straight home openers. The 2024 season-opener against the Temple Owls will be just the third meeting all-time between the two schools and the first since 1942. The series is even at one game apiece.

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Schedule