Comparing Oklahoma’s returning production to that of the rest of the SEC as of 2024.
Less than 200 days remain until the commencement of Oklahoma’s 2024 season, marking the beginning of their journey in the expanded 16-team SEC. The season opener is scheduled for Aug. 31, with Oklahoma facing Temple at Owen Field. Between now and then, various activities will take place, including spring practices, summer conditioning, player-led practices, and fall camp. This timeframe allows for numerous predictions and anticipations regarding the upcoming season.
ESPN recently unveiled its initial preseason SP+ rankings for the 2024 season, which assess efficiency in college football, factoring in tempo, opponents, recent program history, recruiting success (with a focus on recent classes), and returning production. Oklahoma initially ranked 14th in these pre-spring SP+ rankings. Today, we’ll delve deeper into one significant aspect influencing Oklahoma’s position in these rankings: returning production.
Last week, ESPN released an updated ranking of returning production across all FBS teams, categorizing teams based on returning offensive, defensive, and overall production. These rankings aim to identify teams retaining a majority of last season’s production or those adept at importing production from other teams. While ESPN’s formula for these rankings has evolved to accommodate the growing number of transfers in college football, the overarching principle remains consistent: a high or low returning production percentage typically correlates with improvement or regression.
