The 3 SEC teams closest to becoming Oklahoma's next hated rival

The Oklahoma Sooners get to compete in what is maybe the greatest rivalry in the SEC when they play the Texas Longhorns for the Red River Rivalry that second Saturday of October in Dallas, but other than that, OU fans have been stripped of every other rivalry thanks to conference realignment.

First, Nebraska was erased from the schedule when the Cornhuskers left the Big 12 for the Big Ten. Then, Bedlam died (for now), at least on the football field, when the Sooners joined the SEC in 2024. Any other program OU had real history with was also left in the Big 12, other than Texas.

Read more: Oklahoma's biggest rivalry upsets of the 21st century in rare underdog situations

With conference realignment draining tradition, the SEC tried to force rivalries by giving each program three annual opponents but really missed the mark by handing Ole Miss to Oklahoma. However, even just two years in, the Sooners are starting to find some new rivals, and although none are considered a full-fledged rivalry yet, these are the closest teams OU has right now to another rival in the SEC.

Rivalries emerging for Sooners in SEC

Alabama Crimson Tide

Rivalries are supposed to be created organically, and that's exactly what's happening between Oklahoma and Alabama. These are two college football blue-bloods with iconic crimson uniforms that all of a sudden have a history, especially since the Sooners joined the SEC.

OU has actually played the Crimson Tide more than any other SEC team the past two years thanks to that College Football Playoff rematch. In 2025, a struggling Oklahoma squad upset Bama at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to get bowl-eligible while also ultimately knocking the Crimson Tide out of the CFP. Then last season, the Sooners ended the longest active home winning streak in college football by beating Bama in Tuscaloosa during their Red November. But the Crimson Tide got the last blow when they finished the Sooners' season in the first round of the CFP in a rematch in Norman.

Although it's not in 2026, if Alabama is on the Sooners' schedule, OU fans will be circling that date and always will be.

Missouri Tigers

This is not a rivalry in Oklahoma, but it apparently is in Missouri, so that's halfway to actually being one. This matchup does have everything to be a rivalry, though. There's history going all the way back to the Big 8 days, there's geography with the states sharing a border and the SEC even made this an annual game while trying to force conference rivalries. The feeling just isn't there for Sooner Nation, though. However, it's still a must-win for the Sooners so OU fans don't have to hear it from Mizzou fans.

Texas A&M Aggies

Like Missouri, Oklahoma has history with Texas A&M in the Big 12 and shares a border. It's also a close all-time series record for the two, with the Sooners up 19-12. The true test of this being a reignited rivalry will be when the Aggies visit Norman on Nov. 21 for a late-season meeting that should have CFP implications. But there's no denying that outside of Texas, Texas A&M is the easiest program in the SEC to hate, no matter who's in charge or who the Aggies are playing.

Today's best reads

• Where the Red River Rivalry ranks among the SEC's greatest rivalries
• Oklahoma 2026 football schedule sets up best for the Sooners' worst-case scenario
• Brent Venables has Oklahoma's defense as the poster for recruiting, retention and development
• Oklahoma's biggest rivalry upsets of the 21st century in rare underdog situations
• Analysts who think Brent Venables' job at Oklahoma is safe should probably think again

This article was originally published on stormininnorman.com as The 3 SEC teams closest to becoming Oklahoma's next hated rival.