Greg McElroy Highlights LSU at Oklahoma Clash as Potential SEC Championship Decider
As the SEC enters a new era of expansion and heightened competition, one game near the end of the regular season is already drawing attention from analysts and fans alike. ESPN college football analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy believes the Nov. 29 matchup between LSU and Oklahoma in Norman could carry massive implications — potentially shaping the SEC Championship Game picture and the eventual College Football Playoff field. During the latest episode of his podcast Always College Football, McElroy didn’t mince words when emphasizing the stakes surrounding what he believes is one of the most underrated yet pivotal showdowns of the 2025 season.
“That game on Nov. 29, LSU at Oklahoma, that might be one of the best games on the SEC calendar right now,” McElroy said. “Not a lot of people are looking at Oklahoma and thinking they’re an SEC contender — I think they are. I obviously think LSU is as well. That game could mean an awful lot, so circle that one on Nov. 29. LSU at Oklahoma. That one could potentially, potentially decide whether or not one of those two teams might represent in the SEC Championship Game.”
McElroy’s comments come at a time when both programs are trending upward but entering the season with different levels of external expectation. LSU, under the guidance of Brian Kelly, has remained firmly in the conversation as one of the SEC’s elite programs. The Tigers have consistently recruited at a high level, fielded dynamic offensive units, and leaned on a retooled defense that promises to be more reliable in 2025 after struggles in key moments last season. With returning talent and a coaching staff that has already proven it can navigate the SEC gauntlet, LSU is viewed by many as a legitimate contender to make it to Atlanta — and beyond.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, enters its second season in the SEC with something to prove. After an uneven first campaign in the league in 2024, Brent Venables and his staff have doubled down on building a physical identity that can compete with the traditional powers of the conference. The Sooners have made aggressive moves on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, especially on the defensive side of the ball — a clear sign that Oklahoma is adapting to the rugged nature of SEC football. While some national observers remain hesitant to call Oklahoma a championship-caliber SEC team just yet, McElroy believes that hesitation is misplaced.
“There’s this lingering perception that Oklahoma’s not quite ready to hang with the big boys in the SEC,” McElroy said. “But I think that’s unfair. They’ve got talent. They’ve got depth now. And with another year under Brent Venables in the SEC system, I think this is a team that’s going to be a real problem by November.”
That late November matchup between LSU and Oklahoma could end up being more than just a marquee game between two high-profile programs. It could become a direct play-in for a spot in the SEC Championship Game — a de facto semifinal. With the conference eliminating divisions and shifting to a new scheduling model in 2024 to accommodate the addition of Oklahoma and Texas, the top two teams in the league standings will now advance to Atlanta. That change has opened the door for scenarios where nontraditional matchups become conference-deciding tilts.
If both LSU and Oklahoma enter that Nov. 29 game with one or two conference losses — a plausible situation given their respective schedules — the stakes will be enormous. A win could punch a ticket to Atlanta. A loss could knock a team out of the playoff conversation entirely. McElroy is urging fans and media alike to treat that game with the same gravity they might assign to the Iron Bowl or the annual Georgia-Florida showdown.
“What makes that game so fascinating is that it’s not one people have circled out of habit,” McElroy said. “It’s not Alabama-Auburn. It’s not Florida-Georgia. It’s a new SEC matchup, but it has just as much weight. That’s the beauty of the expanded SEC. You’re going to get fresh matchups like this that matter a whole lot — and this one could be the biggest of them all.”
From a stylistic standpoint, the game presents compelling contrasts. LSU’s high-octane offense, which features one of the most explosive receiving corps in the country, will be tested by a much-improved Oklahoma defense that has steadily developed more SEC-style depth under Venables. On the other side of the ball, Oklahoma’s emerging offensive identity — one that blends tempo with physicality — will try to exploit an LSU defense that has undergone a philosophical shift with new coordinator Blake Baker. The coaching chess match alone could be one of the most intriguing of the season.
And then there’s the setting. Oklahoma hosting a late-November SEC game with championship implications is exactly the kind of scenario fans envisioned when the Sooners made the bold move to leave the Big 12. Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will be electric, and if both teams enter that weekend with the SEC title game still within reach, the atmosphere will be unlike anything Norman has seen in a regular-season game in years.
It also speaks to the depth and unpredictability of the new-look SEC. With divisions gone and traditional power structures slightly upended, every conference game carries more weight than ever. Teams that once had to win the West or East now simply need to be among the top two — a system that rewards consistency and penalizes missteps even more severely. For both LSU and Oklahoma, the Nov. 29 game could be the final hurdle in a season filled with tight margins and brutal schedules. There may be no room for error, no cushion to fall back on, and no second chances.
The implications stretch beyond just conference bragging rights. In a 12-team College Football Playoff landscape, a victory in such a high-profile late-season game could be the final résumé boost needed to secure a top seed. Conversely, a loss — particularly one that keeps a team out of the SEC title game — could knock a playoff hopeful into the crowded at-large pool, where strength of schedule and margin of defeat suddenly matter a great deal more.
McElroy’s comments serve as a reminder of how quickly the SEC landscape can shift — and how programs like Oklahoma, once thought to be in the early stages of transition, can accelerate their climb with the right pieces in place. LSU has long been part of the conference’s championship conversation, but Oklahoma’s rise adds a new layer of intrigue. And when the two meet on Nov. 29, it won’t just be a clash of brands or a fun matchup of helmets. It could be a game that defines the SEC’s 2025 season — and determines who gets to compete for the sport’s biggest prize.
With so much attention focused on usual contenders like Georgia, Alabama, and Texas, McElroy is urging fans not to sleep on what could be the defining moment of the regular season. “Don’t overlook that game,” he said. “Circle it. Star it. Watch it. Because we might look back at LSU at Oklahoma as the game that decided the SEC Championship and maybe even the playoff.”
Leave a Reply