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The 2025 college football season is a little over five months away. Teams are in preparation for the fall, hoping for a run to the College Football Playoff through spring ball. Though the Oklahoma Sooners are coming off of a 6-7 season, there’s an expectation that OU will be in playoff contention every year, and 2025 will be no different.
They’re one of a number of teams across the country facing challenges to get back to the playoff, a place they haven’t been since 2019. ESPN highlighted the obstacles for 12 College Football Playoff (ESPN+) contenders but didn’t include the Oklahoma Sooners. Teams like Texas, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, and South Carolina were considered contenders. But what do the Sooners need to overcome to land in the field of 12 in 2025?
Here are five obstacles the Sooners need to overcome to make the College Football Playoff.
1. Getting the Offensive Line Right
In 2024, the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line struggled with injuries and struggled with just about everything else throughout the season. The pass protection was inconsistent and the run game couldn’t really get going until midseason.
It was a tall task replacing all five starters from the 2023 season made more difficult by the loss of several projected starters in fall camp or in the first few games of the season. A lot of young players received snaps, like Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta. Eddy Pierre-Louis earned some playing time late in the season, but they wanted to maintain his redshirt in a lost season. Though the performances of the Sooners young players were up and down, they gained valuable experience in 2024.
The one thing that went right for Oklahoma’s offensive line happened in the offseason. They retained everyone from last year, added veteran offensive tackles Derek Simmons and Luke Baklenko, and brought in arguably the…
Source link : https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/sooners/football/2025/03/20/oklahoma-football-college-football-playoff-john-mateer/82562401007/
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Publish date : 2025-03-20 16:01:00
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