After two weeks of SEC play, the Oklahoma Sooners find themselves in a tough spot - not chasing the top of the standings, but trying to stay out of the basement. Saturday’s 83-81 loss to Alabama in Norman marked their fourth straight defeat, a skid that’s taken the shine off their strong start and raised serious questions about where this season is headed - and potentially where the program is headed under Porter Moser.
Let’s break it down.
The Sooners’ Slide
Oklahoma opened conference play with a win over Ole Miss, but since then, it’s been a steady unraveling. The latest setback - a narrow home loss to Alabama - was another missed opportunity to right the ship. And while the margin was close, the result was the same: another L, and another drop in the SEC power rankings.
The Sooners have now lost to two of the conference’s best teams in back-to-back games - Alabama and the reigning national champions, who handed them a 96-79 beatdown in Norman just days earlier. That might offer a sliver of context, but it doesn’t change the fact that OU is trending in the wrong direction, fast.
SEC Power Rankings Snapshot
At the top, the usual suspects are starting to separate themselves. The defending national champs had a few early-season hiccups, but they’re back in form now, riding a four-game win streak and looking every bit like a Final Four contender again. That blowout win over Oklahoma was a reminder of just how dangerous they can be when they’re locked in.
Alabama, meanwhile, continues to live on the edge. They’ve flirted with disaster more than once, but they keep finding ways to win.
Their comeback victory over Oklahoma - overcoming a halftime deficit - was another example of their resilience. Sure, they’ve had their shaky moments, but the Crimson Tide are stacking SEC wins and building momentum.
Florida is surging after a high-scoring road win over Vanderbilt - a 98-94 shootout that helped vault the Gators to the top spot in the current power rankings. It’s early, but Florida looks like a team that’s finding its rhythm at the right time.
Texas A&M is right there with them, sitting atop the SEC standings with a 4-1 conference record. Their only blemish?
A double-overtime loss to Tennessee, which is more battle scar than red flag. The Aggies are trending up, and if they keep grinding out wins, they’ll stay in the thick of the title race.
Georgia is a bit of a wild card. They’ve taken some hits - including losses to Florida and Ole Miss - but they’ve also done enough to stay in the upper tier for now. Saturday’s 90-76 rout of Arkansas showed what they’re capable of when things click.
Arkansas, on the other hand, has hit a rough patch. With two losses in their last three games, they’ve slipped out of the top five in the SEC pecking order. The talent is there, but consistency has been elusive.
Then there’s Missouri - the team that’s as hard to figure out as any in the conference. They’ve had some ugly losses, no doubt.
But they’re also the only SEC team to knock off Florida so far. Was that a fluke or a flash of what they can be?
That’s the question hanging over the Tigers as they try to find their identity.
What’s Next for Oklahoma?
For the Sooners, the immediate concern isn’t climbing the rankings - it’s stopping the bleeding. Four straight losses have them in a tailspin, and with the SEC as deep and competitive as it is this year, there’s not much room for error. Every game from here on out matters, not just for seeding or standings, but for salvaging a season that’s slipping away.
If this is indeed Porter Moser’s final ride in Norman, it’s not going the way anyone hoped. The Sooners have talent, but they haven’t been able to put it together against the SEC’s best. And unless something changes soon, they’ll be spending the rest of the season trying to stay out of the cellar - not fighting for a spot at the top.