Dusty Dvoracek on Oklahoma in 2024: '9-3's OK'

Dusty Dvoracek believes Oklahoma fans could be in for a bit of an adjustment with the team joining the SEC. The Sooners are not used to much less than 10 wins, having failed to reach that mark only five times since 2000.

One of those times was during the 2020 season, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Another was in 2022 during the inaugural season for coach Brent Venables that saw OU playing with a depleted roster after several players transferred. The team finished 6-7, which was it’s first losing record since 1998.

The move to the SEC brings with it a much more difficult schedule, however. Oklahoma isn’t likely to pull off six straight conference championships like it did in the Big 12 from 2015-20. In fact, the Sooners will have to come to grips with the fact that 9-3 would be an above average season.

“9-3’s OK and that’s gonna be hard,” Dvoracek said. “Because anything short of 10 wins for an Oklahoma fan is a bad year. Even sometimes 10-2’s a bad year. This year and this schedule, if they go 9-3 this year to me I’d be feeling really good if I’m an Oklahoma fan.”

Dvoracek would know better than anyone just how much winning is expected in Norman. He was a part of four straight seasons with 11 wins or more from 2001-04 before the team went 8-4 during his final year in 2005.

He also currently works as a local radio host in Oklahoma and as a national college football analyst for ESPN, so understands just how tough the SEC is.

OU’s schedule this season will feature four teams who won 10 or more games in 2023. That includes road trips to Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU. Winning nine games against that schedule might even be enough to get the Sooners in the College Football Playoff with the field expanded to 12 teams.

“That’s gonna be hard because I don’t know if there’s ever been a time in this illustrious history with 50 conference championships where you would say a nine-win season is a really good year,” Dvoracek said. “But a nine-win season could mean you’re a top eight or top 10 team just given the gauntlet you’re gonna see year in and year out. I’m as intrigued as anybody to see how an Oklahoma fan adapts to that. It’s foreign to them. It’s gonna probably take a little getting used to.”

Oklahoma will play its first SEC game on Sept. 21 in Norman against Tennessee.