The decision has been made – College Gameday is next weekend in Norman, Oklahoma, to play Tennessee against Oklahoma. The Volunteers will welcome the Sooners to the SEC in a primetime showdown on ABC.
The game will be Oklahoma’s first conference game in the SEC. Tennessee last visited Norman in 2014, losing 34-10. The Sooners traveled to Knoxville in 2015 and picked up a 31-24 overtime win.
And now there’s a new twist to the matchup. Former Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel will return to his old stomping grounds, where he led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship. He later returned to Norman as an assistant coach and eventually became offensive coordinator. He was fired after the 2014 season. It goes without saying that Saturday has some significance for Heupel, regardless of how well he plays it.
Tennessee, led by redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, is off to a red-hot start to the season. They passed their first test last weekend against NC State, winning with a smothering defense.
Oklahoma has had a mixed bag so far, but they bounced back today with a nice win over a good Tulane team.
The only question that may remain for this Tennessee group is whether to play in a hostile environment, and the Volunteers will get a chance to answer that question a week from tonight.
