Arkansas State and Oklahoma, only FBS teams with 15+ consecutive seasons with a game scoring 50 or more points, will take one each other in the season-opener.
Oklahoma vs. Arkansas State isn’t a fixture NCAA football fans get to see very often, as both sides will play each other for the third time, the first since 2000. Oklahoma leads the all-time series with 2-0, 61-0, and 45-7.
How to Watch OU football vs Arkansas State live coverage
Date: Saturday, September 2
Time: 11:00 am CT / 12:00 pm ET
Venue: Gaylord Family, Oklahoma Stadium
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Live Online: Watch Online here
This season marks the 50th that’ll be played inside Centennial Bank Stadium. In the game, Arkansas State is 2-15 against Big 12 oppositions but has won two of the last three such fixtures, including an 18-14 win over Texas A&M in 2008. A-State last faced a Big 12 opponent in 2020 when they defeated Kansas State by 35-31.
Arkansas state vs Oklahoma football preview:
Before the game, the Red Wolves meet a ranked opponent for the 36th time in program history and carry a 2-33 record, winning last against a ranked opponent in 2016.
Red Wolves have an 8-23 record in season openers since they moved to FBS in 1992. Moreover, this month marks the first time in program history that A-State will play three home games in September.
Looking at Red Wolves roster, nine starters, three on the offensive and six on the defensive line, and 48 letterwinners. Moreover, A-State features 34 players with 10+ career games at the FBS or FSC level.
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma begins its 129th football season by hosting Arkansas State at Gaylord Family, Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.
Before this game, Oklahoma was 99-23-6 all-time in season openers and has won the last six such encounters and 12 of its previous 13. Talking about Sooner’s record in season openers at Owen Field, OU is 80-15-4, dating back to 1923. It’s worth mentioning that they’ve won 17 straight openers at home, losing such a game last time against TCU in 2005.
It is worth mentioning that Sooners are slated to join the Southeastern Conference in July 2024, which makes this season last for them in the Big 12.
Oklahoma is starting the season by being ranked No. 20 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 19 in the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. Moreover, this year marks the 24th consecutive year that OU has featured in the preseason AP Top 25, the second-longest streak in program history (28 straight seasons from 1968-95).
This year at No. 20 is their lowest preseason during that stretch, with the previous lowest being No. 19 in 2000 and 2015. Said that Sooners have been ranked 10th or better in 20 of the last 23 preseason polls and seven of the previous eight seasons.
Looking at the OU roster, Oklahoma returns 10 players (excluding specialists), five offensive and four defensive players. Gabriel, the 2022 Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, started 37 of his 38 career games.
Moreover, he ranked second in the Big 12 last year in passing yards per game (264.0), total offense (290.3 ypg), pass efficiency rating (154.4), yards per completion (13.8), yards per pass attempt (8.6) and passing TDs (25).
