Brent Venables has 10 wins in two of his four seasons as Oklahoma’s head coach, but in case you forgot, there was some hot-seat talk prior to the 2025 campaign.
The Sooners reeled off a late-season run that ended in the College Football Playoff. That made aspirations even higher this year. They are used to winning on a national scale. Just because OU is now in the deep, rugged SEC doesn’t change its program standards.
Last weekend’s 17-10 loss at Michigan, though, is a huge red flag.
Quarterback John Mateer may get more unwarranted hype than any other quarterback in the country. Even though he is a tough player, he’s always been a limited passer. That reared its head again in Ann Arbor. The Sooners don’t have enough weapons around Mateer, but the fact is, the senior can’t consistently get them the ball, anyway.
When you factor in how the offensive line got dominated against the Wolverines, there are several causes for concern when you look ahead to a schedule that includes No. 2 Georgia, No. 1 Texas, No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 9 Texas A&M, and No. 20 Missouri.
South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi State aren’t gimmes, either. This could be an interesting year in Norman.
