Where do the Oklahoma Sooners rank in CBS Sports' post-spring top 25?

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The Oklahoma Sooners reached the College Football Playoff in 2025, but OU is looking to make a deeper run in 2026. With the returns of key players and some important additions to the roster this offseason, the Sooners exit spring ball and head into summer workouts with high expectations this year.

Around the country, the expectations are also high for Brent Venables’ team in his fifth season in Norman. In new post-spring top 25 rankings for CBS Sports, writer Brandon Marcello, placed Oklahoma at No. 10, highlighting what should be an improved offense.

“The dark horse in the SEC. The Sooners seemed primed to make a big jump this fall after getting back into the CFP last season. The offense was a mess when QB John Mateer played most of the season with an injured hand; he didn’t get much help from the running backs, either, leading to a No. 12 ranking in scoring in the SEC. A second season with coordinator Ben Arbuckle should result in a noticeable jump in production for the unit, particularly with Mateer correcting his throwing mechanics. The defense should be elite again, too, with a senior like Peyton Bowen returning.” – Brandon Marcello, CBS Sports.

Mateer and Arbuckle both returning to work with each other again in 2026 should mean good things for the Sooners on the offensive side of the ball, as that stability should benefit Oklahoma in ways they haven’t seen in a few years. Mateer will be the first OU starting quarterback since Jalen Hurts in 2019 to finish his college career at Oklahoma. He’ll also be the first OU quarterback since Dillon Gabriel in 2023 to be a multiple-year starter for the Sooners, and Gabriel also got his OC, Jeff Lebby, back for that ’23 season as well. This upcoming season will be only the second time in the Venables era where the Sooners will have their OC-QB duo back from the previous year.

Venables’ defense, while losing a lot of veteran leadership and production, should be stout again, with Bowen, Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke, Taylor Wein, and others leading the way this season. Venables and his staff are rebuilding the depth all over the roster, but it’s more glaringly obvious on defense. However, the development on the defensive side of the ball has not been an issue for the last few years in Norman, and the depth chart is littered with guys the coaches feel good about being capable of making the leap. OU also returns all of its production on special teams.

With perhaps the most talented roster that Oklahoma has fielded under Venables, it’ll be a summer of high expectations, both in Norman and nationally.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where do the Sooners land in post-spring top 25 from CBS Sports?

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