English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Norman, OK

Tennessee football opens SEC play with a trip to Oklahoma on Saturday in Norman.

The Vols sped through their first three nonconference games, including a 51-10 victory against NC State in Charlotte. But Saturday is the SEC opener and on the road.

Oklahoma is 3-0 but has been up-and-down through three weeks, including in last week's win over Tulane.

Here's how to watch the Tennessee football vs. Oklahoma game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

Watch Oklahoma vs. Tennessee live on Fubo (free trial)

What channel is Tennessee football vs. Oklahoma on today?

Tennessee vs. Oklahoma will broadcast nationally on ABC in Week 4 of the 2024 college football season. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the game from the booth at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma, with Holly Rowe reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

A RETURN:Josh Heupel's rise at Tennessee born out of Oklahoma firing that was blessing in disguise

Tennessee football vs. Oklahoma time today

The Tennessee football vs. Oklahoma game starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday from Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

Tennessee football vs. Oklahoma predictions, picks, odds

Knox News reporter Mike Wilson's prediction: Tennessee 47, Oklahoma 24

The Vols will finally give up a touchdown this season, but it won't matter much. Heupel's return to Oklahoma leads to sweet victory for Tennessee and its coach. A 4-0 start has Tennessee well-positioned heading into an open week.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Sept. 20

Tennessee Vols football schedule 2024

Oklahoma football schedule 2024

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Renderings of the new Rock Creek Entertainment District in Oklahoma have been made public after the Norman City Council approved funding for the $1 billion project.

The district will be the centerpiece for a new arena that will be home to the Sooners' basketball and gymnastics programs.

Per Colton Sulley of The Oklahoman, the Norman City Council approved the project in a 5-4 vote on Wednesday. The total cost of the development project is $1.2 billion, with the new arena replacing the Lloyd Noble Center.

"Tonight, we saw strong leadership when our city needed it most," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a statement after the vote (h/t Sulley). "This was indeed a vote for a transformative opportunity for the City of Norman and Cleveland County."

Despite the project's approval from the city council, Mason Young of the Tulsa World did note it is "likely" that citizens could file a referendum that would challenge the decision and set up a vote of the people that would determine if the city uses taxpayer money to fund the project.

There were two public hearings scheduled to discuss the project—on Sept. 4 and 17—to go over questions and opinions from local residents.

Per Young, Oklahoma University is expected to contribute $100 million of the $330 million total cost for the new arena and supporting infrastructure. He added that the Lloyd Noble Center will be used as a practice facility and other university events in the future.

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In addition to a new arena, the proposed entertainment district will feature shops, restaurants, office space, new housing and a hotel.

The new arena is expected to include 8,000 seats for basketball games and gym meets, with the possibility of additional seats for other events.

The Lloyd Noble Center has a capacity of 10,967. It has been the home for Sooners' basketball since it opened in 1975.

Almost a decade ago, Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops said offensive coordinator Josh Heupel wasn’t the scapegoat for arguably the worst season of his Sooners tenure.

But Stoops said that during a 44-minute press conference on Jan. 6, 2015, three days after firing Heupel and retaining his own brother, defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.

The reasons to fire Heupel weren’t entirely defensible.

Heupel had been Stoops’ national champion quarterback. He had mentored two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks. He had a top-20 scoring offense that 2014 season despite being hamstrung by Stoops.

And Heupel had outcoached Nick Saban for Oklahoma’s memorable Sugar Bowl win over two-time defending national champion Alabama a year before Stoops fired him.

So you can see why Heupel may have left Oklahoma with hard feelings.

Heupel, now Tennessee's coach, will return to Norman when the No. 7 Vols (3-0) play No. 13 Oklahoma (3-0) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

Tennessee fans will be rooting for Heupel to get revenge or redemption, but most don’t really know the details of his departure from Oklahoma. They’re just happy it led him to Knoxville.

The relationship between Heupel and Stoops, reportedly, has been icy since 2015, but it’s thawed somewhat in recent years.

Publicly, all sides have made peace.

On Sunday, Stoops wished Heupel well but then shut down interviews during game week. On Monday, Heupel thanked Stoops and Oklahoma for their impact on his career. And Oklahoma plans to recognize Heupel before Saturday’s game.

And both sides rebounded from the break-up.

Stoops replaced Heupel with Lincoln Riley, who produced Heisman winning quarterbacks and led Oklahoma into the top 10 as head coach before bolting to USC.

Heupel rebuilt his career and landed at Tennessee, where he’s got a top-10 team for the second time in three seasons.But that doesn’t erase the sting he felt from being discarded by Oklahoma.

Here’s why Heupel was fired and why it felt unfair, then and now.

JOSH HEUPEL ON BOB STOOPSCoach's jokes ease Oklahoma tension before Tennessee vs Sooners

Bob Stoops wouldn’t fire his brother

Oklahoma’s offense and defense needed retooling after the 2014 season, but Bob Stoops opted for different solutions.

On offense, Stoops fired Heupel and co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell. And he didn't offer Heupel, who developed Heisman winners Sam Bradford and Jason White, a chance to return to quarterbacks coach.

On defense, he elevated defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery to co-defensive coordinator but retained Mike Stoops in that role. He said that was because the defense would return experienced players the next season, so stability was needed.

“None of us did a good enough job, including Mike, including me, including everybody,” Bob Stoops said in that 2015 press conference. “(Mike Stoops) is right there with every other guy.”

Heupel’s offense ranked 20th in scoring in 2014, averaging 36.4 points per game. Mike Stoops’ defense ranked 55th in scoring, allowing 25.4 points per game.

Heupel took blame for Bob Stoops’ worst season

Oklahoma went 8-5 in 2014 for arguably the worst season of Bob Stoops’ 18-year tenure. His teams finished ranked in the Top 25 in 13 of the previous 14 seasons, including nine times in the top 10.

Stoops said the dissappointing 2014 season was his fault instead of the coaches he fired.

“I take accountability, responsibility for all of it,” Stoops said in 2015. “By no means does this mean that it’s (Heupel’s and Norvell’s) responsibility in the way the season went. By no means are they scapegoats.”

Heupel’s offense deserved some blame. It scored just two TDs in a 48-14 loss to Baylor. And it had only a fourth-quarter TD in a 40-6 loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

But Oklahoma also suffered three losses by four points or less, so it could’ve easily gone 11-2. And Heupel’s offense wasn’t solely to blame.

In a 31-30 loss to Kansas State, Oklahoma kicker Michael Hunnicutt missed a 19-yard field goal with 3:53 remaining that would’ve put the Sooners ahead. Earlier in that game, he missed another field goal and had a PAT kick blocked.

In a 38-35 loss to Oklahoma State, special teams again blew the game. OSU’s Tyreek Hill returned a punt 92 yards for a TD with 45 seconds left to force overtime. And Hunnicutt missed a 44-yard field goal in overtime for Oklahoma to end it.

Those were not Heupel's fault.

Oklahoma quickly forgot Heupel beat Nick Saban

Stoops didn’t like the direction of the offense, but there were signs that Heupel could fix it.

One year before Heupel was fired, his offense torched two-time defending national champion Alabama in a 45-31 win in the Sugar Bowl. Trevor Knight, his inexperienced freshman quarterback, passed for a then-Sugar Bowl record 32 completions for 348 yards and four TDs against Saban’s defense.

Mike Stoops’ defense forced five turnovers in that Sugar Bowl, but also gave up 516 yards of total offense.

Saban acknowledged that Heupel’s offense was the difference: “We put over 500 yards of offense up. Somebody had to do something right.”

Before that disappointing 2014 season, Oklahoma went 31-8 in three seasons with Heupel as offensive coordinator. It won the Big 12 title in 2012 and finished No. 6 in the AP poll in 2013.

Heupel wasn’t allowed to run his offense

Heupel and Stoops disagreed on the direction of the offense.

Heupel wanted to run up-tempo with wide formations to spread out defenses. It was the origins of what he now runs at Tennessee, but Stoops wanted something different.

“(I) got away from (the up-tempo offense) on the back end (of my Oklahoma tenure) because, philosophically, that’s what the head coach wanted to do,” Heupel explained on ESPN’s “Always College Football” podcast in 2022.

Stoops’ instructions to Heupel seem confusing in retrospect.

In 2015, The Oklahoman reported that the Sooners were using a quarterback-run offense without actually running the quarterback. And that’s because Stoops wanted Heupel to protect the quarterback at all cost, which inevitably would tighten formations.

They clearly weren’t on the same page.

As a head coach, Heupel called the shots at UCF (2018-20) and since 2021 at Tennessee. He’s had a top-10 scoring offense in six of the past seven seasons, including No. 1 in 2022 and 2024.

Obviously, he was on to something at Oklahoma, but he was prevented from innovating.

Stoops didn’t believe in Heupel’s passing game

Stoops was Florida’s defensive coordinator in the 1990s when Steve Spurrier ran his Fun ‘n’ Gun offense. He wanted his own passing attack at Oklahoma, but he didn’t think Heupel could pull it off.

“I always want to be able to throw the football. When we can run with it, it’s a bonus,” Stoops said in 2015 after firing Heupel. “We need to throw the football better and that’s painfully obvious.”

If Heupel had run the offense exactly how he wanted, Stoops may have gotten the air attack he craved.

Two years after he was fired, Heupel was given free rein of Missouri’s offense as coordinator. His quarterback, Drew Lock, broke the SEC single-season passing record with 3,964 yards in 2017.

His UCF quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, led the nation with 357 yards passing per game in 2020.

His Tennessee quarterback, Hendon Hooker, ranked No. 2 in the nation in passer rating in 2022. And that squad broke almost every Vols’ single-season team passing record.

Heupel flourished after Oklahoma, proving he was a better coach than the one Bob Stoops thought needed to be fired. And the Sooners moved on successfully, as well.

But don’t expect Tennessee’s coach to forget why he was discarded by his alma mater.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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In a decision stretching deep into the night, the Norman City Council eventually cast its votes affirming the development of a $1 billion entertainment district that includes a new arena destined to be a jewel in the University of Oklahoma's athletic program. As KOCO reports, the council session, which concluded well past midnight, saw over 70 individuals step forward to express their viewpoints, revealing a community ardently divided over the nuances and implications of such a transformative project.

Funded via a mix of private investment and tax increment financing, a mechanism which earmarks sales tax revenue from the district for its development, the ambitious project will feature mixed-use areas with office spaces, retail ventures, hotels and residential spaces alongside the new arena, according to The Oklahoman. The new arena is slated to host not only University of Oklahoma athletics but also other pivotal community events, fulfilling a multifaceted role in the regional landscape.

Delight emanated from the University of Oklahoma's leadership following the council's approval with OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. describing the decision as a "historic moment in Norman's history," further cementing the university's long-standing hopes for the city to evolve into a magnet for growth, energy, and the unfettered exchange of ideas, as reported by OKC FOX.

A new initiative promises thousands of jobs, more housing, and better entertainment options, uniting support for Norman's growth as a regional destination. OU Vice President and Athletic Director Joe Castiglione sees how this project could attract new fans, especially with OU moving to the Southeastern Conference. This development aims to blend sports and community space, creating exciting experiences that draw people to Norman.

Approval echoes the sentiment laid forth a year prior when Team Norman unveiled their vision during the Norman Economic Development Coalition's State of the Economy breakfast, now taking the substantial step from conception to reality as city council members, including Ward 1's Austin Ball, Ward 2's Matt Peacock, Ward 6's Joshua Hinkle, Ward 8's Scott Dixon, and Mayor Larry Heikkila, saw fit to endorse the Rock Creek Entertainment District proposition, opting in favor of forging ahead, The Oklahoman adds. The arena also marks a future home for OU's basketball and women's gymnastics teams, ultimately replacing the aging Lloyd Noble Center.