In a little over six weeks, the Oklahoma football program will embark on a new journey that will take them all throughout the southeastern portion of the country.

The inaugural trek through the SEC provides the Sooners with a unique challenge. OU, one of the most storied traditions in college football, will now look to assert itself as a power in the nation's most prestigious football conference.

Folks in Norman are accustomed to 10-win seasons. After all, there's nobody in the country who's enjoyed more of them in their history. So, when oddsmakers in Vegas dropped a 7.5 for the Sooners' win total in 2024, it perked up some ears.

A quick glance at Oklahoma's first SEC gauntlet reveals that that number isn't necessarily indicative of the caliber of the team the Sooners should field in 2024; rather, it's a product of one of the nation's toughest schedules.

It begs the question: what should Oklahoma fans expect in 2024, and will the Sooners hit the over on their 7.5-win total for the season?

Let's break it down, game-by-game.

There's not a ton to break down here, but Oklahoma shouldn't have much problem at all when the Temple Owls come to town. The Sooners are currently favored by 41.5 points, and that still might not be enough.

Early Projection: Win

Willie Fritz is going to turn Houston into a scarier version of what we saw Tulane become over the past couple of seasons. If the Coogs learn how to lock down the top athletes in the 713, Houston could turn into a Big 12 contender. Donovan Smith is an intriguing NFL Draft prospect, but he doesn't have the pieces around him to push OU.

Early Projection: Win

Speaking of Tulane, the Green Wave is the next opponent on the schedule for the Sooners. Despite losing Fritz to UH, Tulane returns 15 starters from an 11-win team a year ago and adds several interesting transfers (including USC wideout Mario Williams). While they could still contend for an AAC crown, they should be much less of a threat to Oklahoma than they were on their last visit to Norman.

Early Projection: Win

Talk about an intriguing way to open up SEC play. Oklahoma will welcome former Sooner legend Josh Heupel to Norman for a monumental matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers. There will be intangibles aplenty for this game, but don't get too caught up in all of that. This will be a battle and the first real test that the Sooners will face in the 2024 season. James Pearce will be one of the best defenders in the country, but Nico Iamaleava's first true road test in Norman will be in front of a raucous crowd. Edge, Sooners.

Early Projection: Win

The first road test of Jackson Arnold's career comes just one week later, and it's also Oklahoma's first road game in the SEC. Jordan-Hare Stadium has quite the reputation for being a tough place to play, and just last season had both Georgia and Alabama on the ropes before ultimately letting them escape with victories. Brent Venables' teams have struggled on the road in the past, so this road test will be monumental for the narrative around the 2024 Oklahoma team. A close win sends OU to the bye week with a 5-0 record and plenty of confidence.

Early Projection: Win

Coming into the 2024 season, you'd think that Texas is the team that won 11 of the past 15 matchups in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns are currently 3.5-point favorites over Michigan in Ann Arbor and are four-point favorites over the Sooners in this game. There's a chance that line is flipped on its head if OU comes into this game 5-0, but we will have to wait and see how that plays out. Nonetheless, I think the best units in this game are the Texas offense and the Oklahoma defense. If Bill Bedenbaugh's offensive line is ironed out at this point, I'd like the Sooners' chances in this one. However, this schedule isn't forgiving, and there are bound to be losses somewhere.

Early Projection: Loss

Shane Beamer's return to Norman will have plenty of fans ready to welcome the Gamecocks into town, but once the game gets underway, it'll be all about the scoreboard. This is one of those games that makes the SEC such a difficult grind. Even the teams near the bottom of the conference power rankings are good enough to beat almost anyone above them on any given Saturday. Sandwiched between Texas and Ole Miss, this feels like the definition of a trap game. But, coming off a loss in Dallas, South Carolina has Oklahoma's full attention.

Early Projection: Win

There's a real argument for this to be considered the toughest game on Oklahoma's entire schedule. Not only is this game in Oxford, but it comes against the best Ole Miss team in school history. After an incredible haul in the transfer portal and Jaxson Dart back for another season, it appears the Sooners might be walking into a tough spot here on the road. That's not to say OU can't win this game, but it's probably going to be the toughest road game that a Brent Venables-led team has ever seen.

Early Projection: Loss

It's Maine, and the Sooners can use this week as a pseudo-bye week.

Early Projection: Win

Oklahoma's road tests at Auburn and Ole Miss will play in their favor for this one. Columbia can be hostile, but the scenes at Jordan-Hare and Vaught-Hemingway will give Jackson Arnold and the Sooners some much-needed road experience in the SEC. Missouri, who will be coming off a bye week, will have played at Alabama a week prior to that, likely giving them their first loss of the year. Here, Oklahoma gives them their second loss of the year and, with a dominant performance, does so in surprising fashion. The OU coaching staff will really want this one, and the win would give them an 8-2 (4-2 SEC) record.

Early Projection: Win

In the final home game of the season, Oklahoma plays the team that's maintained the gold standard in college football over the last two decades, and even though it's not Nick Saban on the other sideline, this will be the most difficult home game on the Sooners' schedule. However, it feels unwise to pick against OU in a home game of this magnitude, especially given what could be on the line for Venables' squad. In a one-score thriller, Oklahoma keeps its home winning streak alive for the second season in a row.

Early Projection: Win

The toughest road environment in the country awaits Oklahoma in the final game of the season, and with it comes an LSU team that is likely dangerous, but perhaps not consistent enough to be a national title contender. Still, Death Valley is an incredibly tough place to play for any team, let alone one with a quarterback in his first season as a full-time starter. Harold Perkins gets to Arnold one time too many, and it gives the Tigers the upset win. As is life in the SEC.

Oklahoma's season could end in a wide range of outcomes, with anywhere from seven to 11 wins seeming feasible, given the right pitch. With that said, here's what seems the most likely outcome.

Floor: 7-5

If the Sooners' offensive line doesn't come together and they can't keep Jackson Arnold upright, there's plenty of reason to believe that Oklahoma could drop five games. Road trips to Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU with games against Alabama and Texas are easily losable.

Ceiling: 11-1

Sure, Oklahoma could go undefeated, but that doesn't feel realistic. However, I could see a case for the Sooners winning all but one game on their schedule if things were to play out perfectly. If the OL gels, Jackson Arnold delivers, and the defense looks like it should in Year 3, there's the makings for a special season.

Most Likely: 9-3

The most likely outcome for Oklahoma in 2024 might appear to be a disappointing season for some Sooner fans, but anyone who's seen this schedule knows that 9-3 just might get OU into the College Football Playoff. Given all of the negative publicity and writing off Oklahoma that we've seen over the last several months, this feels like the perfect spot for OU to sneak up and surprise some people. With wins over ranked opponents in Tennessee, Missouri, and Alabama, plus their losses coming to Texas, at Ole Miss, and at LSU, the resume is there for this team to sneak into the CFP.

So, after taking a look at the schedule, the 7.5-win total for Oklahoma feels about one game short of where it should sit, which is right at 8.5. Somewhere between 8-4 and 9-3 feels about right for the 2024 season, and if they can put something like that together, the future in Norman will be as bright as ever.

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