The Oklahoma Sooners showed promise in its annual Red/White Spring Game. Head coach Brent Venables’ program is under close observation for a much-needed breakout season in 2024. Correlate that the Sooners showed enough this spring to increase College Football Betting expectations for their inaugural SEC campaign. Namely, Redshirt junior transfer Deion Burks flashed a dominant pose in his Oklahoma Sooners debut. The Purdue transfer showed why he was named Second-Team All-Big Ten in 2023. Burks had a brilliant showing in the Red/White Game.
College Football Futures 2024 Oklahoma Sooners
| Oklahoma Sooners FULL Odds to Win National Championship | +4000 |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma Sooners Odds to Win SEC Championship: | +5000 |
| Oklahoma Sooners Over/Under Win Total: | 7.5 |
2024 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule
- Aug. 31 Temple
- Sep. 7 Houston
- Sep. 14 Tulane
- Sep. 21 Tennessee
- Sep. 28 at Auburn
- Oct. 5 OPEN
- Oct. 12 Texas *
- Oct. 19 South Carolina
- Oct. 26 at Ole Miss
- Nov. 2 Maine
- Nov. 9 at Missouri
- Nov. 16 OPEN
- Nov. 23 Alabama
- Nov. 30 at LSU
2024 Oklahoma Sooners Preview
In the first drive of the game, Burks hauled in a 64-yard touchdown pass from new starting quarterback sensation Jackson Arnold. The play set the sportsbook tone for an unforgettable performance. Late on in the game, Burks scored on a 50-yard TD strike from Arnold.
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and wide receivers coach Emmett Jones had to have been thrilled with the performance of Burks. Now, Burks will immediately contend for All-SEC honors in 2024. No doubt Burks will be a feared problem for enemy defenses in the season ahead. Burks will keep opponents honest, which will open up Sooner opportunities elsewhere.
In sum, Burks finished with five catches and 174 yards with two TDs in the first half. Those five receptions were half of Jackson Arnold’s completion total for the day. Previously, Burks was a 3-Star prospect out of Belleville, MI. It is looking like the College Football Betting experts may have had him vastly underrated.
Sophomore QB Jackson Arnold validated the decision of Venables to let Dillon Gabriel transfer. Indeed, Gabriel departed without a fight and with best wishes. Any concerns about Arnold should be laid to rest in the spring game. As was previously noted, Arnold and Burks were a deadly combination in the Red/White Game. Although Arnold completed only half of his attempts (10 for 20), he tallied 233 yards in the air. Most of his misses were close calls that can be fixed with additional fine-tuning.
Certainly, Arnold impressed everyone with his ability to improvise, avoid pressure, and make plays when protection broke down. Most important of all, he flashed a big play cannon arm. The Sooners and their fans believe that Arnold confirmed his legitimacy as the new starter. Thus, Venables is looking smart for turning the page and the offense over to the 4-Star product out of Denton (TX) Guyer.
Of major concern this offseason has been the revolving door turnover of personnel on the offensive line. Although there will continue to be growing pains, the offensive line showed better than expected. Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh’s unit rapidly improved as the spring progressed.
On Saturday, the unit did well on both pass protection and facilitating the ground game. Running backs Kalib Hicks and Samuel Frankin flashed impressive runs. In turn, projected starter Gavin Sawchuk sat out. Franklin was just under 30 yards on three consecutive carries. At the same time, Hicks scored a TD on a fourth-and-one play.
On the whole, it looks like yet another prolific offense for the Sooners heading into SEC competition.