OU football adjusts future schedules due to SEC move, drops games vs. Georgia & Tennessee
NORMAN — OU’s future football schedule was going to need adjustments with the impending move to the Southeastern Conference.
The Sooners had series scheduled against Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, and Alabama on the docket before the announcement in the summer of 2021 that OU and Texas would move to the conference.
The Sooners’ planned series with LSU (2027-28) and Alabama (2032-33) had already been wiped out by the move.
Wednesday, the SEC announced it had directed Georgia and Tennessee not to play their upcoming nonconference games against the Sooners due to OU's impending move to the conference.
The Sooners were scheduled to host Georgia next season with the teams set to play in Athens in 2031.
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What OU says about dropping games vs. Georgia, Tennessee
OU was slated to play at Tennessee in 2024. The first game of that home-and-home was scheduled for 2020 in Norman, but was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic. That game had not been officially rescheduled.
"We recognize the original excitement in hosting Georgia next season and traveling to Knoxville in 2024, and the short-term disappointment this news may bring, but the circumstances obviously dictated a change in our schedules," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a release.
"The good news is that future SEC schedules will provide a reasonable rotation whereby Georgia and Tennessee come to Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and we will also play on those great campuses."
An OU source said there were talks to play next season’s game against the Bulldogs at a neutral site, but the sides couldn’t reach an agreement.
There were also discussions on playing both games as scheduled, with the 2031 meeting being played as a nonconference game. That idea was ultimately scrapped.
OU and Texas will make the move from the Big 12 at least in time for the 2025 season, but it could come earlier as the cost of making the jump drops each season.
BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston are slated to join the Big 12 in 2023.
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OU football adds series with SMU
Later Wednesday, OU announced it would host SMU next season to replace the canceled meeting with Georgia.
The Sooners’ nonconference schedule next season also includes Arkansas State at home and a game at Tulsa.
The Sooners will play at SMU in 2027.
OU is 5-1-1 against the Mustangs, with the last meeting coming in 1995.
The Sooners do not yet have a replacement for the 2024 game against Tennessee. OU is slated to host Temple and Tulane that season.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football changes future schedules due to SEC move, adds SMU series
