ESPN’s College Gameday is headed to Norman next week for Tennessee football’s matchup against Oklahoma. The week four matchup is not only Tennessee’s SEC opener but Oklahoma’s very first SEC game after officially joining the conference this summer.
NORMAN, OK📍
We’re headed to @OU_Football‘s first-ever SEC game, a primetime showdown with @Vol_Football! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WBeIZLESto
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 15, 2024
There are storylines galore in the matchup including Josh Heupel returning to his alma mater for the first time since Bob Stoops fired him as offensive coordinator following the 2014 season. Heupel was the quarterback for Stoops at Oklahoma in 1999 and 2000. Tennessee’s fourth-year head coach was the runner up for the 2000 Heisman Trophy while leading the Sooners to the 2000 National Championship.
Ahead of Monday’s update, Tennessee football is ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll while Oklahoma is ranked No. 15. The top 15 matchup was the obvious choice for College Gameday because of the rankings and storylines. Other top options included Southern Cal-Michigan and Utah-Oklahoma State.
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Tennessee is off to a 2-0 start to the season after blowout victories over Chattanooga and NC State. The Vols are currently blowing Kent State on in the second quarter. However, none of Tennessee’s opponents to date are very good. NC State was ranked No. 24 when they played Tennessee but narrowly defeated Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
Oklahoma is also off to a 3-0 start this season but has been less convincing to this point in the season. The Sooners annihilated Temple in their season opener before defeating Houston 16-12 in week two and Tulane 34-19 on Saturday. Oklahoma’s offense has been shaky so far this season but they still boast one of the top defenses in the SEC.
Kickoff from Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is at 7:30 p.m. ET next Saturday night. ABC is broadcasting the game.
