OU Announces 2004 and 2005 Football Schedules

NORMAN, Okla. -- A renewal of the rivalry with Nebraska and a Pac 10 Conference flavor highlight the 2004 and 2005 football schedules announced by Oklahoma, Wednesday. Eighteen of the 22 regular season games set for the next two campaigns will be played against teams that were in bowls in 2003.

"Our goal is to have non-conference schedules that create an overall balance," said OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione. "This is especially important given criteria used in the Bowl Championship Series. We like the look of our schedules for these next two years and beyond. They match the philosophy we've had in place since 1999. We've got six home games and we have that all important balance.

2004 Schedule | 2005 Schedule | Spring Football Central

"We hold ourselves to very strict parameters and that always makes the scheduling process more challenging. We've enjoyed the cooperation of several schools who helped us work through a number of adjustments. We appreciate everyone's cooperation and patience.

"Our focus has never wavered. We want to do everything we can to put our players and coaches in a position to pursue championships."

Nebraska returns to the schedule as OU's rotation with the Big 12 North reverts to the Cornhuskers, Kansas and Kansas State. Due to the sequence of the calendar, the next two seasons mark a return to 11-game regular schedules, a departure from the 12-game regular season slates in each of the last two years.

The Pac 10 teams are Oregon and UCLA. The Ducks visit Norman on Sept. 18 of the 2004 season. The Sooners return that game in September 2008. In 2005, Oklahoma travels to UCLA to return a game to the Bruins after the two met in Norman in 2003.

Oregon was 8-5 last season and lost in the Sun Bowl to Minnesota, 31-30. Over the last five seasons, Mike Bellotti's team is 45-17

The 2004 schedule features nine bowl teams from 2003 and squads that posted a combined mark of 87-50. The opener is Sept. 4 when the Sooners meet Bowling Green. It's the first-ever game for OU against a team from the Mid-American Conference.

The following week, Oklahoma hosts Houston, which is under second-year head coach Art Briles, formerly the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders open the Big 12 Conference portion of the schedule with an Oct. 2 visit to Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Other league teams set to play in Norman include Kansas and Nebraska.

The game with KU marks the first contest between OU head coach Bob Stoops and his former offensive coordinator Mark Mangino.

Oklahoma and Nebraska have not played since the 2001 season. The Sooners lead the storied series, 40-37-3.

Times for the games will be announced at a later date.

The 2005 season features teams that posted a combined 2003 record of 86-57 with nine bowl appearances. The slate opens with TCU coming to Norman followed by a visit from Tulsa in the 10th game of that intrastate series.

The return trip to UCLA comes next followed by an open week and then the Big 12 opener against Kansas State in Norman.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Announces 2004 and 2005 Football Schedules

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors