Following nonconference games against Temple, Houston, and Tulane, Oklahoma will host Tennessee for its inaugural SEC game since joining the league on July 1.
Then, the Sooners face their first SEC road test with a trip to Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. Known as one of the most daunting venues in the SEC—if not the entire country—it carries a reputation shrouded in lore.
In a 2023 interview with The Next Round, Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker shared that some teammates believed playing in Jordan-Hare Stadium grants Auburn players “superpowers.”
With a game at Auburn on the horizon, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold sought advice from Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who had his first road start last year at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Instead of dispelling the myths, Beck reinforced them.
“I’ve never been to the stadium before, but at the Manning Passing Academy, Carson Beck told me the place was cursed,” Arnold said at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Tuesday.
Beck’s first visit to Auburn last fall saw the Tigers almost upset the favored Bulldogs, who managed a fourth-quarter comeback to eke out a 27-20 victory.
Since that narrow escape, Beck has repeatedly praised Auburn’s home venue, including during SEC Media Days.
“The atmosphere is insane, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” Beck said Tuesday.
Despite Beck’s warnings, Arnold is eager for Oklahoma’s visit to Auburn, marking the Sooners’ first road game in the SEC.
“I’m really excited… first SEC away game. I grew up watching Georgia-Auburn games on TV, so I know how special that stadium is,” said Arnold, an Atlanta native. “I’ve got friends who are Auburn fans, and they tell me about it all the time. I’m pumped up for that game.”
Oklahoma and Auburn will clash on September 28 in an afternoon kickoff.
“I wish they would get the night-version of Jordan-Hare,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said of the Sooners earlier in July. “But Jordan-Hare will be rocking either way, and I think they’ll enjoy that for sure.”
Echoing Freeze’s sentiments, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables anticipates an exciting experience come Week 5.
“They’re gonna be ready. I know that. The fans, the pageantry pregame, during the game—they’ve got a wonderful atmosphere,” Venables said Tuesday. “Tough, challenging, loud.”
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