Jackson Arnold and the 2024 Sooners

​Yup. That was one of the ugliest OU games I have seen since becoming a fan in 2020. Despite tonight's outcome, Sooners fans and haters need to remember that Bowl games are not as meaningful as they used to be. Though tonight sucked, and I mean really sucked, we should not use this game as a sign for things to come. 

Several Oklahoma fans will walk away from this game questioning whether or not Jackson Arnold is our guy moving into the 2024 season. I would tell those fans that you should not use this game to judge what you think will come of Arnold's Oklahoma career. 

I saw many things from Arnold tonight that will be addressed this offseason as he steps into the QB1 role. The biggest issue I saw with Arnold tonight was his release time. Generally, the second-string quarterback does not take most of their practice snaps with first-string receivers. Most of their snaps are with backups, and because of this, there is a lack of connection between the second-string quarterback and starting wide receivers, thus resulting in a slower release time. With more familiarity and practice with a group of receivers, this will improve. 

I'm not saying Dillon Gabriel is a better quarterback than Jackson Arnold, but I believe he is a better fit for this group of receivers and this offense. I believe the outcome of this game would have been significantly different if Gabriel played or Arnold was Oklahoma's starter the entire season. 

The Oklahoma team we saw tonight is not the same Oklahoma team we saw on November 24th against TCU in the last game of the regular season. Since then, fifteen Oklahoma players have transferred out, including starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, thus giving Arnold his first meaningful snaps since joining the Sooners. We've had a month to prepare an offense that was best suited for Arnold, whereas Arizona has had an entire offseason and the entire season to work with Fifita and cater this offense to his needs. With an offseason to prepare our new quarterback, I expect Oklahoma to join the SEC and be super competitive for years to come. 

This leads me to my predictions for Oklahoma next year. Several Sooners fans and non-fans do not believe Oklahoma will be competitive in the SEC. Other than Georgia and Alabama, are there any other teams that are consistently better than Oklahoma? Missouri? Tennessee? Ole Miss? LSU? are these teams that finished 2nd and 3rd in their divisions consistently better than Oklahoma? I don't think so. 

Oklahoma has a tradition of greatness, which will continue regardless of whether they are in the Big XII, SEC, ACC, or the MAC. Oklahoma will find a way to be a contender. Let's take a look at next season's schedule. 

Temple, Houston, and Tulane should be tune-up games for the Sooners. By the end of these three games, Arnold and the 2024 Sooners should have an idea of what kind of team they are going to be this upcoming season. 

Up next is Tennessee and Auburn; both teams Oklahoma has been consistently better than in seasons past. These will be competitive games, no doubt, but these should start the Sooners out 2-0 in the SEC.

Next is Texas... it's a Rivalry Game, so I have this one marked up as a toss-up game. We're about to find out just how legit Texas can be with the upcoming playoffs. 

Following the Red River Rivalry are four games that should be wins for the Sooners, three of which are SEC opponents. South Carolina, Ole Miss, Maine, and Missouri. The three SEC teams in this stretch are not consistent. Ole Miss and Missouri had good seasons this year, but they are not consistently #2 teams in their conference division. Most teams in the SEC, aside from Georgia and Bama, are very up and down from season to season. 

To close out the season, Oklahoma will host the Crimson Tide and visit the Tigers of LSU. I'll never bet against Alabama, so this is my for-sure loss next season for the Sooners, and depending on what kind of team LSU wants to be next season, it will depend on what I think the outcome of this game will be. For now, I have it marked as a toss-up game. 

I believe the Sooner's ceiling is 11-1 with their only loss to Alabama, and their floor is 8-5 with losses to Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, Missouri, OR Auburn, not both. Oklahoma has been consistent in the Big XII, so we will see if they continue that trend in the SEC.