Top 25 in 25: Oklahoma Football Season Preview

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We’re counting down the final 25 days before the college football season by previewing every one of our preseason top 25 teams! With 14 days left until week zero, we continue our previews with my No. 14 team in the country – the Oklahoma Sooners.

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Projected Record: 9-3 (5-3)

Ceiling/Floor: 11-1/6-6

Projected Wins: Illinois State, Michigan, Temple, Auburn, Kent State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Missouri, LSU

Projected Losses: Texas, South Carolina, Alabama

Most Intriguing Game: at Tennessee (Week 10)

Oklahoma has potential to be one of the top teams in the country this year, but is head coach Brent Venables ready to take that next step? On paper, this should be an SEC contender, but Venables is still a very unproven head coach, with only one winning season in his first three years in Norman. The Sooners had one of the best offseasons in America though, ranking in the top 20 in returning production, transfer class and freshman class; so if Venables can’t do it this year, it may be his last season at Oklahoma.

Offensively, the Sooners brought in the duo of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer from Washington State to try and revamp an offense that struggled in 2024, and I’m all-in on these additions. Mateer is an incredible athlete and will be one of the best QB’s in the conference, and he’ll already know the system he’s running. They also added more top talent at skill positions through the portal in running back Jaydn Ott and wide receiver Deion Burks. A lot of last year’s offensive struggles were due to injuries outside of the QB spot as well, so staying healthy will be a big key for their returning production.

The Sooner defensive unit is coming off a relatively successful season under a defensive-minded coach in Venables, finishing 16th in defense, according to the SNAP Model. Losing stars Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman will hurt tremendously, but the defense has a slew of young, developing talent who should fill their roles in time, and R Mason Thomas being back to anchor the defensive line will help things.

If the defense can maintain its production from a year ago and the offense takes a jump like I think they will, the sky’s the limit for this team in 2025. It may take some time for the players to mesh on both sides of the ball, but if they can have a respectable first few games, I think this team could end up making the playoff. Michigan coming to town week two will have huge implications though and may decide whether they do or not.

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