9-2, 11-2, 6-7, 10-33, 6-7. When we look at the last 5 years of Sooners football, it makes us feel like Brent Venables always gets Oklahoma fans to the edge only to leave them high and dry. After that massive performance in 2023, no one would’ve thought that Sooners football would end up going on a disaster run in 2024. However, what did save Brent Venables’ job was definitely the Alabama win. In that showdown, Oklahoma shined brighter than the sun and overwhelmed the Tide with relative ease… However, they instantly fell right back into irrelevancy with a pretty terrible loss to LSU followed by the Navy. Now when you sum it all up and wonder “Can Venables lead Oklahoma to an acceptable 2025 run?” What is the first answer that crosses your mind?

“The schedule’s brutal. So, my expectation is not a ton of, like, huge improvement, but I hope they at least make a bowl.” This take by Josh Pate, while controversial, can resonate with mature Sooners fans. Right off the start set a realistic expectation: There is no way on earth Oklahoma and Venables are going on a natty run. More so because when you look at that schedule and those games against a revamped Michigan, Texas with Arch Manning, and Alabama without Jalen Milroe, it won’t be smooth sailing.

Still, a few things could flip the table in Venables’ favor. When you look at Sooners’ 2024 conquest, certain things stand out: O-line was a big nothing burger and the quarterback couldn’t get anything done. Even BV reached his breaking point when Sooners took a 9-35 hit on their HOME TURF against South Carolina.

In an instant, Seth Littrell goes out the door and Venables goes back to the drawing board. Now to say that BV isn’t cooking up something devious for the Sooners would be a lie. With Seth out, Venables went back to his roots to bring in Kevin Wilson as Oklahoma’s offensive analyst.

To quote Urban Meyer on this hiring: “I can’t think of a better guy.” If there is anyone who could give Venables and Sooners nation, the offensive breakout they so desperately need, it’s Wilson. This hiring was a massive win and what makes it even better is the QB change.

Potential Top 5 QB?

“I mean he did play Washington, he played against Oregon, he played against Boise State, he played against some good teams too. He put up numbers.” When John Mateer was brought in to lead the charge for Sooners in 2025, it made us wonder: Does he have what it takes to outclass the SEC rivals?

Going from Washington to Oklahoma is a big jump, but then again, this guy snagged over 3k yards with 29 TD plays during his last stint with the Cougars. There is promise and we think that if any fan out there thinks Mateer doesn’t have what it takes to bring out the same numbers on the SEC level, then you haven’t watched Cam Ward‘s CFB run.

That aside, with Wilson and Mateer locked in, Oklahoma’s future could become a pleasant surprise. However, only time will tell if this do-or-die season will unfold in Venables’ favor or not…