Oklahoma Sooners Football

Class of 2023 5-star safety Peyton Bowen raised some eyebrows when he flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to Oregon on Wednesday, but he made an even more surprising decision Thursday.

Bowen announced on social media that he has now committed to Oklahoma. He stated that after his commitment to the Ducks, he "immediately started to rethink my future."

A 6'0", 185-pound safety from John Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, Bowen is ranked as the No. 2 safety and No. 14 overall player in the 2023 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. In his announcement, he cited a desire to stay closer to home as part of his reason for joining the Sooners. He apologized to the fanbases of Oregon and Notre Dame, acknowledging that his decision-making process "could have been handled better."

247Sports recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks describes Bowen as a "sudden athlete with lateral mobility and great initial burst and acceleration" who can be "dangerous as a center fielder thanks to ability to cover territory and make plays on the ball." Bowen also competed in track and field at a high level during his high school career.

Brooks added that the two-sport athlete "projects a potential high-major impact player in the future with immediate special teams value and a long-term ceiling that could lead to the NFL draft."

Bowen's decommitment from Oregon is another loss for Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and his staff. 5-star quarterback Dante Moore, the No. 5 quarterback in his class, flipped from Oregon to UCLA earlier this week.

However, Oregon managed to sign 5-star edge-rusher Matayo Uiagalelei on Wednesday. He is the second 5-star recruit in the Ducks' 2023 class, joining wide receiver Jurrion Dickey.

Texas and Oklahoma may be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC sooner than expected.

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network reported the "climate is right" for the two powerhouses to get out of their SEC contracts ahead of the 2024 season. Texas and Oklahoma are currently slated to join the SEC in 2025.

While the Big 12 appeared to be in danger of dissolving in the immediate aftermath of Texas and Oklahoma announcing their departures, the league instead rebounded to add BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. The addition of those four schools helped the Big 12 land a new television contract and arguably helped pave the way for the Red River Rivals to leave early.

The SEC may also be motivated to bring Texas and Oklahoma into the fold in 2024 ahead of the College Football Playoff's expansion to 12 teams. The Big Ten will add USC and UCLA in 2024, potentially getting a year headstart on the "superconference" trend.

Adding Texas and Oklahoma in 2024 would keep the SEC on equal footing with the Big Ten. The SEC's new television contract with ESPN also starts in 2024 and includes a clause that requires the network to increase the value of the deal for new members.

"The Big 12 would like it to happen a year early, the SEC would like OU and Texas a year early, but FOX could care less and I'm not sure what ESPN will do," a source told McMurphy.

ESPN's desire to start paying out the Texas-and-Oklahoma-sized pay checks may ultimately wind up deciding whether the two schools wind up in the SEC in 2024 or have to wait.

Oklahoma added one of the top playmakers in the 2023 class in receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, and the 4-star prospect should have a significant impact right away.

The 247Sports' composite rankings considers Pettaway the No. 61 overall prospect in the country and the 10th-best receiver.

The 5'11", 170-pound wideout doesn't have elite size, but he more than makes up for it with his blazing speed. The track star competed in the 100-meter dash, posting a time of 10.41 seconds as a high school junior.

The Houston native uses this speed to his advantage on the football field, making him a threat whenever he gets the ball in his hands. He especially thrives as a deep threat who can also turn screens into long plays.

Pettaway became a hot commodity on the recruiting trail with most of the top teams in the SEC, Big 12 and beyond offering scholarships to the Langham Creek High star, including LSU, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

His commitment to Oklahoma in July gives the program an important piece as it tries to move forward under Brett Venables.

The Sooners (6-6) have been up-and-down offensively in the first season without Lincoln Riley as their head coach, and the passing attack could further suffer if Marvin Mims Jr. declares for the NFL draft. With Drake Stoops graduating, there will be few proven options returning in the receiving corps.

Jalil Farooq and Theo Wease should get an increase in playing time, but Oklahoma should do its best to get Pettaway on the field as soon as possible as a game-changing player with the ball in his hands.

The incoming freshman might need to add strength and refine his route-running before reaching his potential, but he can help the team early even in limited snaps. The coaching staff should create opportunities for him on screens and quick passes, allowing him to use his speed to do the rest.

If he can stay healthy, Pettaway could provide a significant boost in 2023.

The No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners were obliterated 55-24 by the unranked TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed seven of 16 passes for 126 yards before exiting the game in the second quarter after taking an illegal hit from TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge, who was ejected from the game.

Gabriel scrambled for yardage, and as he began his slide, Hodge hit him hard and directly in the helmet. He walked off the field under his own power before being replaced by Davis Beville, who completed just seven of 16 passes for 50 yards.

Oklahoma's leading receiver was Brayden Willis, who caught two passes for 81 yards. Jovantae Barnes led running backs with 18 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Eric Gray had 13 carries for 60 yards and one score.

TCU quarterback Max Duggan threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 116 yards and two scores. Running backs Kendre Miller and Emari Demercado combined for 198 yards and three scores.

Taye Barber led TCU receivers with three catches for 107 yards and one score.

The Horned Frogs offense was unstoppable, posting 668 yards of total offense compared to Oklahoma's 355.

Following the disappointing performance, Oklahoma was slammed on social media.

Oklahoma is 3-2 following back-to-back losses to Kansas State and TCU.

The Sooners will look to get back on track next weekend against the Texas Longhorns, who enter Saturday's game against Virginia with a 2-2 record following losses to No. 2 Alabama and Texas Tech.

The Kansas State Wildcats continue to be a problem for the Oklahoma Sooners after a 41-34 victory at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.

No. 6 Oklahoma had been cruising to start the season. It won its first three games by a combined score of 127-30, albeit against vastly inferior opponents.

Adrian Martinez led the Wildcats' offensive attack with 382 yards of offense (148 rushing) and five total touchdowns. He ran for 59 yards on the final drive that sealed the win, including a 55-yard scamper on third-and-16.

Martinez scored from one yard out two plays later that gave Kansas State a two-touchdown lead with 1:57 remaining.

The 22-year-old Martinez spent the previous four seasons at Nebraska. He entered the transfer portal in December and opted to play for Kansas State. He came into this matchup with 454 yards of offense in the first three games of the season.

Kansas State was coming off a 17-10 loss to Tulane last week. The offense had just 336 total yards and went 2-of-15 on third downs in the game.

Oklahoma's offense had no problems moving the ball. It racked up 550 yards. Dillon Gabriel threw for a season-high 330 yards and four touchdowns. The junior quarterback has 11 touchdowns without an interception on 117 attempts in four games.

The problem for head coach Brent Venables was the defense and 11 penalties that cost the Sooners 87 yards.

Saturday marked Oklahoma's first home loss to an unranked opponent since Kansas State in September 2020.

Martinez did go up against Oklahoma last year with Nebraska. He was OK with 289 passing yards, 34 rushing yards and two total touchdowns in a competitive game the Sooners won, 23-16.

Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman is doing an excellent job with this program. Now in his fourth season since taking over for Bill Snyder, the 54-year-old has a 3-1 record in four games against the Sooners.

Per Alex Kirshner of Split Zone Duo podcasts, Klieman is 0-4 at Kansas State against ranked opponents outside of Oklahoma.

With Kansas State holding a 27-20 lead early in the fourth quarter, both teams traded touchdowns on the next four drives. The run began with Martinez's 15-yard rushing score with eight minutes remaining.

Oklahoma drove 75 yards in nine plays to cut the deficit down to seven with 4:36 left to play. The Wildcats put the game away with their own 75-yard scoring drive that included Martinez's heroic scamper on third down.

Brayden Willis caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel with 35 seconds remaining, but Oklahoma's onside-kick attempt failed, allowing Kansas State to run out the clock.

A marquee win, combined with losses by No. 20 Florida, No. 21 Wake Forest, No. 22 Texas and No. 25 Miami, could push Kansas State into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since September 2021.

On the losing end, Oklahoma's playoff hopes are very much up in the air at this point. It will have opportunities for marquee victories, including a showdown with No. 9 Oklahoma State on Nov. 19, but its margin for error is essentially non-existent for the rest of the season.

The Sooners' first chance to rebound will come on Oct. 1 against TCU. Kansas State will host Texas Tech next Saturday.

The Bedlam series between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will come to an end in 2025.

Athletic directors Chad Weiberg of Oklahoma State and Joe Castiglione of Oklahoma told Brett McMurphy of The Action Network there are no plans to continue the rivalry when the Sooners leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

"It (playing Oklahoma) presents logistical issues under our current (scheduling) structure," Weiberg said. "We don’t have any openings to play them. We’re full. Unless there are significant undertakings to make the game happen, it can’t happen."

According to Castiglione, Oklahoma State "has shown no interest to schedule any future games in football" and his program is "moving on" to other potential opponents.

Conference realignment has upended several rivalry games that took place annually across college football. Oklahoma and Nebraska went 11 years between games from 2010 to 2021 after the Cornhuskers left the Big 12 for the Big Ten. The two teams did reunite for a home-and-home series in 2021 and 2022.

The Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh was on ice for 11 years after the Mountaineers left the Big East for the Big 12. They played their first game against each other since 2011 on Sept. 1, with Pitt getting a 38-31 win.

The Lone Star Showdown featuring Texas and Texas A&M hasn't been played since 2011, though it will likely make a comeback when the Longhorns join their in-state rivals in the SEC in 2025.

Per McMurphy, the biggest reason Bedlam won't continue is because the schools share similar scheduling philosophies, with Oklahoma State expected to maintain a nine-game Big 12 schedule and the SEC expected to implement a nine-game conference schedule when Oklahoma and Texas join.

The board of regents at Oklahoma and Texas unanimously voted to accept an invitation to the SEC in July 2021. The move is expected to happen on July 1, 2025, after the Big 12's current media rights deal expires.

The Sooners and Cowboys have a rivalry that dates back to 1900 if you include track and field. Their football series began in 1904 with a total of 116 games played. The only years they haven't met on the gridiron were 1905 and 1909.

Oklahoma has dominated Bedlam on the football field. The Sooners have a 90-19-7 edge in the series, but Oklahoma State won last year's game 37-33. This year's matchup will be played on Nov. 19 at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.

Oklahoma will no longer play Georgia in football in 2023 and 2031 with the team set to join the SEC, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The Sooners will instead host SMU in 2023, with the return game scheduled for 2027, per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.

OU's planned game against Tennessee in 2024 will also be canceled.

Both UGA and UT were previously scheduled as highly anticipated nonconference games, but these opponents will now become regularly part of its conference schedule.

Oklahoma and Texas were voted into the SEC in 2021 and are expected to join the conference in 2025.

In both cases, one of the games would have been played before Oklahoma joins the SEC, but the return game would take place after 2025.

Oklahoma initially scheduled its series against Tennessee in 2017, planning games in 2020 and 2024. The 2020 version ended up being canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the SEC moving to a conference-only schedule that year.

The teams planned to reschedule, but it will now come too late.

Oklahoma and Georgia announced their home-and-home series in 2019, with the 2023 version likely to become one of the bigger nonconference matchups in the country. Unfortunately, the return game would be well into the Sooners' time in the SEC and that was enough to cancel the series.

The Sooners also have future matchups against Alabama and LSU that will likely need to be adjusted.

The squad still has several quality nonconference games on its slate, with matchups against Michigan scheduled for 2025 and 2026 and a future home-and-home against Clemson.