Oklahoma Sooners head football coach Brent Venables leads his team into the 2024 season in a quest for the eighth national title in Sooner football history.
That takes us to the final and top Big 12 moment in Sooner History being the 2000 National Champions led head coach Bob Stoops in his second season with the Sooners.
Beginning in the 2000 football season ranked 19th in the country, the Sooners handled the UTEP Miners 55-14 in their home season opener.
The Sooners demolished their next two remaining non-conference opponents. The Arkansas State Red Wolves 45-7 and the Rice Owls 42-14.
As Oklahoma moved into conference play, they kicked off with a win over the Kansas Jayhawks 34-16.
With the Sooners moving into the top 10 rankings, they set their attention to the Red River Rivalry against the 11th-ranked Texas Longhorns.
The only way to describe this outcome was by Sooner dominance.
Running back Quentin Griffin helped lead the way for Oklahoma breaking the NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with six and linebacker Rocky Calmus also helped lead the way by securing a pick-six giving the Sooners a destructive 63-14 win over the Longhorns.
Next game the eighth-ranked Sooners traveled to Manhattan, Kansas to face the second-ranked team in the country the Kansas State Wildcats.
The Sooners outlasted the Wildcats and completed the 41-31 upset. Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel led the way with two passing touchdowns, 374 passing yards, and a 78 completion percentage.
Following a bye week the third-ranked Sooners hosted the number one team in the country Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Oklahoma defeated Nebraska 31-14 and heading into November undefeated and as the number one team in the country.
Defeating three juggernaut teams in Texas, Kansas St, and Nebraska in October defining that part of the season as Red October.
After crushing the Baylor Bears 56-7 on the road in Waco, Texas, the Sooners headed to College Station, Texas to face the 23rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies.
Aggies on leading 31-28 against the Sooners with 7:30 remaining in the game, Oklahoma linebacker Torrance Marshall made arguably the most critical play of the season picking off the Aggie pass and taking into the endzone for a pick six handing the Sooners a 35-31 victory.
The Sooners headed to Bedlam in Stillwater, Oklahoma clashing with the Oklahoma State Cowboys after taking care of the unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders at home 27-13.
Oklahoma squeaked out of Bedlam 12-7 and now heads to the Big 12 Championship to matchup with Kansas State once again ending the regular season with an undefeated 11-0 record.
The game was tied 17-17 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Heupel connected with receiver Andre Woolfolk for a touchdown, and placekicker Tim Duncan making a field goal gave the Sooners the 27-24 victory over Kansas State. The Sooners were named Big 12 Champions and had claimed a spot in the National Championship game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to face the Florida St Seminoles.
Due to a dominant defensive performance by Oklahoma, a couple of made field goals by Duncan, and a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Griffin gave the Sooners a 13-2 win to become the 2000 National Champions. The seventh National Title in Sooner’s history.
Oklahoma ended the season with a perfect 13-0 record. Boomer Sooner!
By: Joey Ross
