The SEC’s new scheduling setup has given every team a clearer annual identity, and for Oklahoma, it has also created one of the league’s stranger yearly pairings.
Starting with the 2026 through 2029 stretch, the conference moved to a nine-game league schedule and locked in three permanent opponents for each school. That gives every SEC team a home-and-home with the rest of the league over that four-year window, while also trimming the nonconference slate from four games to three. The conference still requires at least one non-league game against another Power Four school in the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, or Notre Dame.
For the Sooners, the annual trio is Texas, Missouri, and Ole Miss. The first two make sense as familiar SEC ties, but Ole Miss stands out because there’s no real history between the schools. Still, the Rebels are now part of Oklahoma’s yearly rhythm, and the Sooners will face them six straight times in their first six SEC seasons.
That arrangement is part of a broader league reset that began this season. In the first two years of Oklahoma and Texas in the SEC, the conference used a simpler setup: the same matchups repeated from 2024 to 2025, with home and road sites flipped. That left plenty of teams without annual meetings and created a lopsided feel, especially for the newcomers.
Now the league has settled on a cleaner structure, and the annual opponents for each SEC team are set.
Alabama’s yearly slate includes Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.
Arkansas will see LSU, Missouri, and Texas A&M every year.
Auburn’s permanent opponents are Alabama, Georgia, and Vanderbilt.
Florida is locked in with Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina.
Georgia will play Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina annually.
Kentucky’s annual group is Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
LSU gets Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.
Mississippi State’s yearly opponents are Alabama, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt.
Missouri will face Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M every season.
Oklahoma’s annual opponents are Ole Miss, LSU, and Mississippi State.
South Carolina will play Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky.
Tennessee’s permanent matchups are Alabama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt.
Texas will meet Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M each year.
Texas A&M’s annual rivals are LSU, Missouri, and Texas.
Vanderbilt’s yearly opponents are Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.
A few notable rivalries did not make the annual cut from 2026 to 2029, including Alabama-Florida, Alabama-Georgia, Alabama-LSU, Alabama-Ole Miss, Arkansas-Texas A&M, Auburn-Florida, Auburn-LSU, Auburn-Ole Miss, Florida-LSU, Florida-Tennessee, Georgia-Tennessee, Kentucky-Vanderbilt, LSU-Mississippi State, and Ole Miss-Vanderbilt.
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Oklahoma May Need More Than A New OC This Offseason
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That is where the Sooners recent history looms over the process. Oklahoma has tried the coordinator-plus-quarterback package before, and it did not unfold the way anyone hoped, which makes this search feel a little more complicated than a simple staff change. With staff turnover and eligibility issues already forcing the issue, the Sooners may have to get both pieces right this time if they want the offense to stabilize quickly. [Read more 🡒]