SEC Media Projects Oklahoma to Finish Eighth
![Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_203/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_sooners/01j35w61k24ear9wezrr.jpg)
During their first SEC Media Days event this week, the Oklahoma contingent apparently didn’t make a strong impression on the league’s media.
OU was picked to finish eighth in the SEC standings in a poll released Friday by the conference office.
Of the 1,200 or so media who attended the four-day event at the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas, 213 cast a vote.
Georgia received 165 votes to win the league, while fellow newcomer Texas was next with 27 votes. Alabama received 12 first-place votes, while Ole Miss (4), Vanderbilt (2), LSU (2) and South Carolina (1) each received votes as well.
Nobody voted for Oklahoma to win the conference.
Instead, the Sooners were projected to finish eighth — behind Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Missouri and Tennessee, but ahead of Texas A&M, Auburn and the rest of the SEC.
The Sooners play six games against teams that are projected to finish ahead of them in the league standings: Texas, Alabama, at Ole Miss, at LSU, at Missouri, and Tennessee.
“Everything’s hard,” said third-year head coach Brent Venables. “The windows that you throw through are hard, the gaps that you run through are small. There’s length, there’s physicality, there’s depth, there’s speed, there’s precision and then you go experience what a road game brings to you. Again, you’re not looking at half-filled stadiums, you’re looking at the best of the best. They’re bringing it, and they understand the value of creating an intimidating, loud, difficult environment to operate in.”
OU landed three players on the preseason All-SEC team, including two as first-team defenders in linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman. Transfer wideout Deion Burks also was voted to the third-team offense.
OU, which is celebrating the 100th season of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, opens the 2024 campaign on Friday, Aug. 30, against Temple at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN. The Sooners play their first-ever SEC game on Sept. 21 against Tennessee in Norman.