The Oklahoma Sooners enter their second season in the Southeastern Conference in 2025. After a long run spent dominating the Big 12 Conference, it’s safe to say OU is still adjusting to life in its new league.
One of the many adjustments the program is making is the increased stadium capacities and rowdy atmospheres that college football’s premier conference has to offer. In the Big 12, the Sooners were the toughest place to play in the conference. They had one of the highest capacities, and teams knew they had to play a nearly flawless game if they were going to come to Norman and upset Oklahoma.
However, as great as OU’s home field advantage is, just about every atmosphere in the SEC is a tough one to play in. The Sooners got an up-close look at places like Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU in 2024, and they’ll visit South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama this year.
Blake Toppmeyer, who covers college football for USA TODAY Sports, decided to rank each SEC football stadium, taking a look at the many unique atmospheres in the nation’s best league.
Toppmeyer ranked Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as the ninth-best stadium in the SEC. That puts Oklahoma in the bottom half of the league, but ahead of such schools as Texas, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
Oklahoma’s stadium fits neatly into the SEC tapestry, and the Sooner Schooner cruising the field paints a scene fit for the nation’s premier football conference. With a capacity of 80,126, the “Palace on the Prairie” doesn’t match the SEC’s top colossuses, but it holds its own. – Toppmeyer, USA TODAY Sports.
The Sooners may not be able to match other SEC schools when it comes to stadium capacity, as many stadiums have over 100,000 seats. While Oklahoma has a passionate fan base, the insanity of a place like LSU during a night game isn’t necessarily happening in Norman.
However, OU has a football pedigree that almost no other school in all of college football can match. The Sooners are one of the truest blue bloods in the sport. With time in the SEC, perhaps Oklahoma can begin to acclimate and rise closer to the top of similar lists in the future.
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