Bob Stoops is optimistic about Oklahoma’s future as the team makes the move from the Big 12 to the SEC.

Stoops spoke with ESPN’s Jake Trotter about the move. Trotter’s lengthy piece, in which he compared Oklahoma’s SEC to Nebraska’s Big Ten transition, was published Friday morning.

Stoops, the most successful coach in the program’s history, dismissed the notion that Oklahoma should be intimidated by the idea of ​​competing with schools like Missouri and Texas A&M.

“We beat Missouri to the punch, and now we’re supposed to be afraid of them?” Stoops told ESPN. “A&M, we beat them 77-0 halfway through the third quarter (in 2003). That was a long time ago. But still, have they changed that much? Have we changed that much? I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

Oklahoma went 8-1 against Mizzou under Stoops. That record includes a dominant 38-17 victory over the then No. 1 Tigers in the 2007 Big 12 Championship Game. The following year, Oklahoma also defeated Mizzou in the 2008 Big 12 title game by a score of 62-21.

Oklahoma’s famous 77-0 win over Texas A&M came in 2003. It was the first of 7 consecutive wins for Oklahoma against Texas A&M.

Stoops appeared to double down on social media hours after ESPN’s story published. He shared this post, along with a video of Oklahoma’s numerous national championship and Big 12 Championship banners hanging inside OU’s indoor facility:

🤷🏻‍♂️Just sayin! Your indoor look like this? pic.twitter.com/U6lMRRmpV9

— Bob Stoops (@CoachBobStoops) August 30, 2024

Oklahoma won’t play Texas A&M this year in the regular season, but the Sooners will face a strong Mizzou team on Nov. 9. OU’s first SEC game is at home against Tennessee on Sept. 21.

Oklahoma opens the 2024 season on Friday night against Temple.

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