Sugar Bowl
Oklahoma's History Against SEC is Pretty Good, Except in the CFP
If you believe in omens in college football, this may be one regarding Oklahoma joining the Southeastern Conference.
Of the seven national championships that the Sooners claim, only once did it face an SEC opponent at the end of the season.
They lost.
This was back in 1950, when the final polls were conducted at the end of the regular season, and before the bowl games were played. Riding a 31-game winning streak, the Sooners were already voted No. 1 in the polls before heading to New Orleans to play in the Sugar Bowl.
There, they lost 13-7 as Kentucky crashed their party. The Wildcats' coach was Paul W. "Bear" Bryant, who came up with some innovative ways to slow down Oklahoma's electric split-T offense.
Overall, Oklahoma is 110-49-8 against current SEC teams, but that's a little misleading. Against Missouri alone the Sooners have racked up a lopsided record of 67-24-5.
OU also has winning records against the two other conference teams its been in the same league with before, Arkansas (10-4-1) and Texas A&M (19-12).
In the broad sense, the Sooners have fared well against any competition, not just the SEC.
Oklahoma claims 50 conference championships, 14 in the Big 12 including six straight. The Sooners won their latest conference title with a 27-21 win over Iowa State in the 2020 Big 12 Championship Game.
It is the only Big 12 program to be one of the four teams selected for the College Football Playoff, which the Sooners have done four times. However, they have yet to advance past the semifinals, with three of the defeats to SEC teams.
One of them was to Georgia in the 2018 Rose Bowl, the first meeting between the programs. It took double overtime for the Bulldogs to finally secure a 54-48 victory in the first CFP overtime game and UGA went on to lose in overtime to Alabama for the national title.
Maybe that's the real indicator: Oklahoma may not win as much as its used to in the SEC, but it sure won't be boring.
Oklahoma vs. SEC
CFP record: 0-3
Bowl games: 8-6-1
School, Record, Last Meeting
Alabama 3-2-1; L 45-35, at Miami, Dec. 29, 2018
Arkansas 10-4-1; W 10-3, at Dallas, Jan. 1, 2001
Auburn 2-0, W 35-19, at New Orleans, Jan. 2, 2016
Florida 2-1, W 55-20, at Arlington, Tex., Dec. 30, 2020
Georgia 0-1, L 54-48 2OT, at Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 2017
Kentucky 2-1, W 29-8, at Lexington, Ky., Sept. 18, 1982
LSU 1-2, L 63-28, at Atlanta, Dec. 28, 2019
Ole Miss 0-1, L 27-25, at Shreveport, La., Dec. 31, 1999
Mississippi State have never played
Missouri 67-24-5, W 38-28, at Norman, Sept. 25, 2011
South Carolina have never played
Tennessee 3-1, W 31-24 2OT, at Knoxville, Sept. 12, 2015
Texas A&M 19-12, L 41-13, at Dallas, Jan. 4, 2012
Vanderbilt 2-0-1, W 25-23, at Norman, Sept. 10, 1977
Also
Texas 49-62-5, W 55-45 4 OT, at Dallas, Oct. 10, 2020
This is the fifth story in a series that will examine the history of the Sooners football program, and what it will bring to the SEC.
Welcome to the Southeastern Conference, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma Football Traditions Include a Lot More Than 'Boomer Sooner'
Whatever You Call the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma Has Owned It Lately
Regardless of Conference Affiliation, Oklahoma Has Still Won 7 National Titles
