Oklahoma and Tennessee are both off to undefeated starts, but their paths to 3-0 have looked very different. The Volunteers have blown the doors off of their competition and lead the FBS with an average scoring margin of +56. The Sooners have struggled in back-to-back games with Houston and Tulane, and are fairly lucky to be unscathed after three weeks.
OU has probably had the more difficult start to the season. Houston is rebuilding under Willie Fritz, but he’s no stranger to fielding overachieving teams, and the Cougars defense kept the Sooners in check, though OU would pull out a 16-12 win. Oklahoma’s win over Tulane was a bit more decisive, but the Green Wave made it a real game into the fourth quarter. Tennessee’s signature nonconference game was supposed to be NC State, but it demolished the Wolfpack 51-10 and have vaulted up to No. 6 in the AP poll after starting the year at No. 15, one spot ahead of the Sooners.
Oklahoma and Tennessee have played just four times, with Oklahoma holding a 3-1 series lead. The first two games were matchups in the Orange Bowl, while OU swept a home-and-home series in 2014 and ’15.
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Oklahoma vs. Tennessee
Location: Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET TV: ABC/ESPN+ Spread: Tennessee -7 Over/Under: 57.5 Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe
Why Oklahoma Will Win
The Sooners are still finding their way on offense, but this Brent Venables defense has been impressive so far. The unit, ranked No. 14 in ESPN’s SP+ , features one of the nation’s best linebackers in Danny Stutsman (33 total tackles) and a fierce pass rush with 11 sacks already this year. As impressive as Tennessee’s offense has been this year, the Sooners defense will be a significant step up from the best defense they’ve seen so far, NC State, and young Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava hasn’t started a game in an atmosphere like the one he’ll face in Norman. Oklahoma took a step forward offensively against Tulane from its game against Houston. There’s plenty of room for improvement from Jackson Arnold and company, and they could get a spark from the likely return of wide receiver Nic Anderson (10 touchdowns in 2023), who has missed the start of the ’24 season.
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Why Tennessee Will Win
Arnold has taken some time to adjust to being the full-time starter at a college football power. Iamaleava has found more early success, with 698 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions through three games. Blowouts have him to get plenty of rest through early September as well. Aiding in his development is the impressive running of Dylan Sampson, one of the nation’s top running backs with 357 yards and nine touchdowns already. Tennessee leads the SEC in explosive play margin per game, averaging 16 such plays (defined by passes of 16+ yards and rushes of 12+ yards), while only allowing 2.67, according to TruMedia . That is a credit to Tennessee’s underrated defense, which is second to Ohio State in yards allowed per game (160.7). Oklahoma’s explosive play margin? Just +0.33, 13 full plays worse than the Vols…