Oklahoma’s rivalry with the SEC continues
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma has no plans to bow down to the mighty Southeastern Conference.
The SEC has run roughshod over most of college football for the past decade, but in recent years, former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was vocal about his belief that the Sooners and the Big 12 were elite, too. He had the facts to back up his claim — under his leadership, Oklahoma beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl after the 2013 season, Tennessee during the 2014 and 2015 regular seasons and Auburn in the Sugar Bowl after the 2016 season.
As far back as 2013, Stoops called some of the stories about the SEC’s supremacy “propaganda.”
The rivalry he stirred up continues with new coach Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma’s matchup with Georgia in the Rose Bowl national semifinal on Jan. 1.
Riley tried to temper things a bit when the pairings first came out.
“Georgia is a great team, regardless of what league they’re in,” he said. “They’re a great football team. I’ve had a chance to watch them a little bit this year. Obviously, they’re really, really good defensively. It doesn’t take long to figure that out. Strong running game. Their young quarterback has come on and played really well.”
Riley also has great respect for Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
Riley wasn’t as complimentary toward the SEC earlier in the season when he was defending the Big 12. After Oklahoma’s 62-52 win over Oklahoma State, he had heard enough from critics who said the Big 12 was watered down because of the lack of defense. He referenced Oklahoma’s 35-19 win over Auburn in the Sugar Bowl, among other things, as evidence that the Big 12 can hold its own.
“Going back to the bowl games last year, there’s one conference that gave up under 20 points a game,” he said. “That was the Big 12, where everybody’s playing out-of-conference teams. So everybody wants to talk about all that. We didn’t have any problem moving the ball against SEC defenses, one of the best ones in the country last year, in the bowl game.”
Even in those statements, Riley was more reserved than Stoops. As the Sooners prepared for Tennessee in 2014, Riley’s predecessor quipped about the SEC’s supposed belief that its athletes are a cut above.
“I don’t know,” Stoops said at the time. “That hasn’t been the case in our experience. Whenever we’ve played, that hasn’t been much of a difference.”
After Oklahoma’s win over Auburn, Stoops said reporters should “maybe just bury that narrative” about SEC supremacy.