Brent Venables is off the hot seat, but USA TODAY Sports is concerned
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The Oklahoma Sooners had a resurgent season in 2025, winning 10 games and making the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. The season was highlighted by road wins over Tennessee and Alabama to kick-start a 4-0 November and push OU to the playoff.
It was also the first time Brent Venables made the playoff as a head coach. With the success Oklahoma had last season, the pressure was lifted off of Venables, who’s suffered 6-7 seasons in two of his four years in Norman. While he’s earned a lot of job security. But USA TODAY Sports college football writers Blake Toppemeyer and John Adams believe Venables could find himself back on the hot seat again in 2026.
Venables has a squad built for another playoff pursuit. Recruiting is going well for the 2027 class. He’s in better shape than this time a year go, but a peek at OU’s tough schedule and the program’s lofty standards say he’s not bulletproof. Plus, he’s working for a different boss than the one who hired him. – USA TODAY Sports
We know the schedule is tough. That’s living in the SEC. But as Oklahoma senior assistant general manager Lake Dawson said on X, formerly known as Twitter, “GOOD! At OU, we wouldn’t want it if it was easy.”
Nobody is shying away from the schedule. They know the challenges they face, in particular in the first half of the season at Michigan, at Georgia, and in the Red River Showdown vs. Texas. Still, the Oklahoma Sooners have a team that can win any game on their schedule.
Because Venables and general manager Jim Nagy have built a roster with talent all over the field. The defense took a huge step forward in 2025 despite the losses of Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman to the NFL. And there’s an expectation it could do the same thing once again after losing a number of important defenders to the league this offseason.
But the key is on offense. Oklahoma’s offense was better than it was in 2024, but not championship-caliber. Quarterback John Mateer is back and healthy. The offensive line will be better, which will help the running game, which will take a lot of pressure off of Mateer to be everything for the offense like he was in the first four weeks of the 2025 season.
The Sooners didn’t rest on their progression laurels, however. They added impact talent on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver (Trell Harris, Parker Livingstone, Mackenzie Alleyne), running back (Lloyd Avant), tight end (Rocky Beers, Hayden Hansen, Jack Van Dorselaer), and offensive line (E’Marion Harris, Peyton Joseph, and Caleb Nitta).
The Oklahoma offense will be significantly improved in 2026. And combined with another good defense, the Sooners will be in contention for a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff. The only real question is how deep into the playoff can they go?
Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 4 | vs UTEP | 7 p.m. CT SECN+ |
| Sept. 12 | at Michigan | 11 a.m. CT (FOX) |
| Sept. 19 | vs New Mexico | 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPN2) |
| Sept. 26 | at Georgia | 2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m. CT |
| Oct. 3 | BYE | |
| Oct. 10 | vs Texas (Dallas) | 2:30 p.m. CT (ABC or ESPN) |
| Oct. 17 | vs Kentucky | 2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m. CT |
| Oct. 24 | at Mississippi State | 2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m. CT |
| Oct. 31 | vs South Carolina | 2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m. CT |
| Nov. 7 | at Florida | 2:30-3:30 p.m. OR 5-7 p.m. CT |
| Nov. 14 | vs Ole Miss | 2:30-3:30 p.m. CT |
| Nov. 21 | vs Texas A&M | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CT |
| Nov. 28 | at Missouri | 2:30-3:30 p.m. CT |
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables is off the hot seat, but USA TODAY Sports is concerned
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