Three years after the Board of Regents authorized OU’s move to the SEC, the day is finally here.
As of Monday, the Sooners are a member of the Southeastern Conference.
“We can’t wait to welcome thousands of new people to our community as well as spread Sooner Magic throughout the SEC,” OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a statement.
Sooner Magic —a phrase SEC fans are sure to learn. The Sooners have a lot to learn themselves as they move from the Big 12 to the SEC, where giants like Alabama, Georgia and LSU await.
Also awaiting is a robust check, the reason the Sooners and Longhorns made this move in the first place. The powers of college sports have consolidated, and OU is about to find out if it was all worth it.
Here are 16 things, one per school, for Sooner fans to look forward to in their new league.
REQUIRED READING:Is OU football prepared for SEC? Sooners may be better than people think
Alabama: Crimson connections
Alabama and Oklahoma —the SEC’s two most historic football programs.
There’s a lot of respect between the Sooners and Crimson Tide, who will meet Nov. 23 in Norman for just the seventh time in series history.
OU swept Alabama in a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003. The other four meetings were in bowl games —most recently the 2018 Orange Bowl, when Alabama beat OU 45-34.
This is also going to be an awesome softball matchup.
More:Mussatto: OU officially joins SEC. Time to adapt to new world.
Arkansas: Calling the Hogs
Here are some handy-dandy instructions, courtesy of the University of Arkansas:
- 1. Raise your arms above your head during the Hog Call, yell “Wooo” and wiggle your fingers for a few seconds.
- 2. Next, bring both arms straight down with fists clenched while yelling, “Pig.”
- 3. Then extend your right arms with the “Sooie.”
- 4. Repeat these steps two more times and finish by yelling “Razorbacks!”
Just a heads up on what to expect in Fayetteville, about a three-and-a-half hour drive from Norman. Arkansas is the closest SEC school to OU.
More:OU to SEC celebration schedule, live updates from Sooners' move to Southeastern Conference
Auburn: Toomer’s Corner
Of course the original Auburn oaks at Toomer’s Corner were poisoned by Harvey Updyke, but they’ve since been replaced.
No one tosses toilet paper better than Auburn fans.
The city of Auburn is known as “The Loveliest Village on the Plains.”
Florida: The Swamp
Just as muggy as its name suggests, The Swamp (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) is one of the most famed stadiums in college football.
Former Gators coach Steve Spurrier gets the credit for the nickname. Spurrier went 68-5 in home games as Florida’s coach.
Don’t be surprised if you see an actual gator on campus.
Also, like Alabama, get ready for an epic OU-Florida softball series.
Georgia: Between the Hedges
You don’t want to be “Between the Hedges” at Sanford Stadium. Not with the way Georgia has been playing.
The hedges are a nice horticultural touch, though. They cover about 5,000 square feet around the field. Some of the privet hedges will be replaced before next season. Luckily for the Sooners, they won’t be there to see them.
Athens is a top-notch college town.
Kentucky: Basketball and bourbon
If you’re lucky enough to go to Lexington in October, try to pull a Keeneland/Kentucky football doubleheader. Because if you’re in horse country, you have to go to a horse race. And few tracks are as charming as Keeneland.
Kentucky also loves its basketball, of course, and its bourbon (hit up the Bourbon Trail).
Rupp Arena is no Allen Fieldhouse, but the religion of UK basketball is akin to that of OU football.
More:OU to SEC celebration schedule for Sooners' July 1 move to Southeastern Conference
LSU: Tiger Stadium at night
The Sooners visit Baton Rouge on Nov. 30. Fingers crossed for a night game at Tiger Stadium.
LSU football under the lights is known as one of the rowdiest environments in the country.
The Tigers hosted their first night game on Oct. 4, 1931, beating Alabama’s Spring Hill College 35-0. That was the beginning of the end for Spring Hill as a college football superpower.
Mississippi State: Cowbells
Go to a game at Davis Wade Stadium and your ears will ring for days. Mississippi State doesn’t have the loudest crowd in the SEC, but the clanging of cowbells is the most distinct sound in the SEC.
How did the Bulldogs become known for their cowbells? According to Mississippi State’s website: “Legend has it a wandering jersey cow became a good luck charm in the mid-20th century after having strolled onto the field during an ultimately victorious home football game. Over time, students began bringing cowbells for continued luck at outdoor athletic events and, in the process, began a tradition that continues in the modern era.”
In 1974, the SEC banned artificial noisemakers. However, in 2010, the conference gave Mississippi State fans permission to bring back the cowbell under the stipulation that they only be rung before the game, during timeouts, at halftime or after the Bulldogs score.
Keep the cowbells clangin’.
Missouri: Renewed rivalry
College basketball was at its best in the Billy Tubbs and Norm Stewart days. Those are long gone, but it will be cool for the Sooners and Tigers to be leaguemates once again.
OU beat Missouri in back-to-back Big 12 football championship games in 2007 and 2008. Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford was the MVP in both games, outdueling Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel.
OU football is 67-24-5 all-time against Missouri. The Tigers will host the Sooners on Nov. 9. It will be their first meeting since 2011.
Oklahoma: “S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C”
OU fans got a head start last football season by chanting “SEC, SEC, SEC” as a dig at Big 12 referees.
Now, it just means more.
Blech.
That’ll take some getting used to.
OU President:Sooner Magic will shine even brighter in the SEC
Ole Miss: The Grove
On Oct. 26, when OU plays at Ole Miss, Sooner fans are going to see what the best of SEC tailgating looks like.
The Grove, a 10-acre green space in the center of campus, is the mecca of college football partying.
Under the shade of massive oak trees, anywhere from 20,000 to 60,000 Ole Miss fans gather at The Grove on game days.
South Carolina: Sandstorm
How did an electronic dance song by a Finnish DJ become the anthem for South Carolina football? Don’t ask questions. Just go with it.
You can feel Williams-Brice Stadium shake when “Sandstorm” plays.
Tennessee: Rocky Top
“Rocky Top” isn’t Tennessee's official fight song, but it might as well be. No offense to “Down the Field,” surely a fine tune in its own right.
Hearing “Rocky Top” at Neyland Stadium —over and over and over again —is a bucket-list item for a college football fan.
OU hosts Tennessee this season. The Sooners are 3-0-1 against the Volunteers. It’s been nine years since Baker Mayfield led an epic comeback in Knoxville.
More:How do Oklahoma, Texas stack up across the board with other SEC programs?
Texas: State Fair
Aside from an SEC crest replacing the Big 12 logo on the field at the Cotton Bowl, nothing will change about the Red River Rivalry. Thank goodness, right?
Where else but the State Fair of Texas is it acceptable to eat a corn dog at 9 a.m.?
Suppose that won’t be necessary this year with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff, but you might as well take advantage of the opportunity.
Even if Alabama and Auburn want to claim they’re bigger rivals than OU and Texas, there’s no better setting in college football than the split stadium inside the state fair.
Texas A&M: (Cult-like) Traditions
The Aggies are a peculiar people, and that’s saying something given their SEC brethren.
Texas A&M is all about its traditions, from the 12th Man, to Reveille the rough collie, to the yell leaders and the iconic Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band composed of a corps of cadets.
There’s nothing like a Texas A&M tuba turn. If you know, you know.
And of course OU knows all about the Aggies from their Big 12 days.
Vanderbilt: Extracurricular activities
Nashville is a super cool city that happens to be home to an SEC school. The highlight of this trip isn’t likely to be athletic-related.
But if you’re into quirky basketball arenas, visit Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him atjmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
