Would a sixth-place finish in the Southeastern Conference be enough to earn Brent Venables a fourth year coaching the Oklahoma football team?
The SEC Media Days projected order-of-finish will be released at the conclusion of the week, but USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg published his preseason SEC power rankings Monday. The long-time college-football writer tabbed the Sooners for sixth.
“With fewer questions on the defensive side, OU could go from six wins to the playoff should (quarterback John) Mateer and new (offensive) coordinator Ben Arbuckle change the Sooners’ fortunes on offense,” Myerberg wrote.
Oklahoma is coming off a 6-7 season, the second such record in Venables’ first three years, and finished in a tie for 14th after its first year in the SEC. Injuries ransacked the offense last year, as the Sooners finished 113th out of 134 FBS in total offense. Then, the offensive coordinator, Seth Littrell, didn’t make it through the year, and Venables hired Arbuckle from Washington State. Mateer joined his O.C. in Norman shortly thereafter in hopes of providing a spark on that side of the ball.
Running back Jaydn Ott, too, will make a difference if healthy. A former All-Pac 12 selection, Ott ran for 12 touchdowns and more than 1,300 yards two seasons ago before being limited to just 116 carries last year in an injury-riddled campaign.
OU ranked behind Texas, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, and Florida in Myerberg’s initial rankings. The Sooners will travel to Alabama, host LSU, and play the Longhorns in their usual neutral-site game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. South Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Missouri also feature on Oklahoma’s SEC slate, with four of those five projected as preseason Top-25 teams, providing it with the seventh-toughest schedule in FBS, according to college football prognosticator Phil Steele.
The Sooners…
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Publish date : 2025-07-16 15:00:00
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