OU Football: Sooners And Vols Schedule Another Series

Oklahoma Athletics Director Joe Castiglione and head football coach Bob Stoops announced Monday that the Sooners have scheduled a home-and-home series with the University of Tennessee for 2020 and 2024. The programs will play in Norman on Sept. 12, 2020, and in Knoxville on Sept. 7, 2024.

OU and Tennessee, which have met four times, are coming off a home-and-home series in 2014 and 2015. The No. 4 Sooners dealt the Volunteers a 34-10 defeat in 2014 in Norman. A year later in Knoxville, No. 19 OU came back from a 17-0 deficit to post a 31-24 double-overtime win over No. 23 UT.

"It was a no-brainer for us to pursue another series with Tennessee," said Castiglione. "The games in 2014 and '15 demonstrated a tremendous respect between two storied programs, as well as between a pair of passionate fan bases, and so for the players, coaches and fans, we're excited to renew this high-profile series. We fully expect it to once again be a great experience for both sides."

In a pair of AP top-five matchups, the programs also split Orange Bowl matchups in the 1938 and '67 seasons in Miami. No. 2 Tennessee downed No. 4 Oklahoma 17-0 in the 1939 Orange Bowl, OU's first bowl appearance, before the No. 3 Sooners edged the No. 2 Volunteers 26-24 in the 1968 game. 

Stoops, who is 2-0 against Tennessee, owns a 7-4 record as OU's head coach against SEC teams and has won the last four such meetings (beat Tennessee twice, and Alabama and Auburn in the 2014 and 2017 Sugar Bowls, respectively).

Tennessee is the latest marquee opponent added to Oklahoma's non-conference schedule in the upcoming seasons. The Volunteers join Ohio State (2017), UCLA (2018, 2019), Army (2018, 2020), Houston (2019), Nebraska (2021, 2022, 2029, 2030), Temple (2024, 2025, 2028), Michigan (2025, 2026) and LSU (dates TBA) among OU's future non-conference opponents.

During Stoops' tenure with the Sooners, Oklahoma has faced some of the top programs in college football during the regular season. That list includes Notre Dame (1999, 2012, 2013), Alabama (2002, 2003), Oregon (2004, 2006), UCLA (2005), Washington (2006, 2008), Miami (2007), Florida State (2010, 2011), Tennessee (2014, 2015), Houston (2016) and Ohio State (2016).