Brent Venables tenure as Oklahoma's Head Coach has been a rocky one with plenty of highs and lows over the last three seasons. Heading into Year Four, the pressure has been mounting from fans and supporters coming off another losing campaign.
The Sooners were able to create some positive momentum with the additions of Jim Nagy, coming in to usher in the new era of college football as the new General Manager. The duo of Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle and Quarterback John Mateer make their way to Norman from Washington State as they hope to rebuild the offense to its former glory.
Oklahoma once again face one of the toughest schedules in the entire country where they will face off against six members of the ESPN preseason Way-Too-Early top 25.
If Brent Venables is able to get Oklahoma back to the College Football Playoff and climb their way towards the elite of the SEC it is going to start with winning these three crucial contests.
Week 7 vs Texas Longhorns (October 11)
Brent Venables and company face one of the most difficult schedules in the entire country which include early season home tests against Michigan and Auburn but arguably the most important game of their season occurs when they make their yearly trip to Dallas for the Red River Shootout.
In Oklahoma's two losses to Texas under Venables they were outscored by a combined 83-3 including a 34-3 beatdown last season. The Longhorns return nine starters from last year's 2024 roster that made it to the College Football Semi-Finals.
Arch Manning is officially the starter in Austin after Quinn Ewers is finally off to the NFL, and hopes are high as he enters his first season as the starting quarterback. The Longhorn offense is full of explosive playmakers as Quintrevion Wisner and the returning CJ Baxter look to hold things down in the backfield. The receiving core is led by a dynamic duo of wide receivers in DeAndre Moore Jr and Ryan Wingo, alongside Jack Endries, who had 56 receptions and over 600 receiving yards last season at Cal. The weakness of the Texas offense is along the line of scrimmage, where they only have one returning starter in DJ Campbell, who hopes to keep Manning protected through the grueling season.
The Longhorn defense, led by Pete Kwiatkowski, has fewer questions as it returns six starters from last season. Heading into the 2025 season, Texas is without a returner on the defensive line but a loaded linebacking core with Anthony Hill Jr and Colin Simmons instantly make them one of the most athletic defenses in the country. Upperclassmen Michael Taffe and Malik Muhammed hope to limit opposing offenses in the Longhorn secondary.
Week 8 vs South Carolina (October 18)
If the Sooners are able to take The Golden Hat from the Longhorns, they aren't going to have a long time to celebrate as they head to Columbia to take on a dangerous South Carolina team.
Last season's matchup was a disaster for Oklahoma after two early interceptions and a fumble by Michael Hawkins, but the Sooners in an early 21-0 hole after the first quarter, and that was all the room the Gamecocks needed as they ran away with a 35-9 victory.
South Carolina is looking to build off a 9-4 season, but if their games go differently against LSU and Alabama, they could have found themselves in the CFP. Head Coach Shane Beamer has continued to build his program year over year since he arrived in Columbia.
The Gamecocks are lead by Quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Sellers had a massive coming out party during the 2024 season. He threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns along with rushing for 674 yards and used his legs for seven more scores. Sellers is one of the Heisman front runners heading into the season and if he can build off an impressive freshman season and push the Gamecocks along the elite in the SEC.
Clayton White's defense was one of the best defenses in the country last season, in part because of their play on the defensive line. Dylan Stewart and Bryan Thomas Jr look to keep the intensity high along the line of scrimmage. The duo held a combined 11 sacks last season, and Stewart has become one of the most highly coveted players in college football. The continued continuity in the defensive backfield from Jalon Kilgore and Judge Collier makes it one of the best all-around units in the country.
Week 14 vs LSU Tigers (November 29)
As the Sooners and Tigers enter the final weekend of the regular season their matchup in Norman could be a College Football Playoff elimination game.
LSU finished last season with a 9-4 record, but they return arguably the best quarterback in the SEC in Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier had a lot of NFL interest and could have left school early and headed to the NFL, but he decided to come back to Baton Rouge for one final season.
They are going to have a variety of offensive weapons in the running and passing game. Caden Durham returns as the bell cow running back for the Tigers. Durham ran for 753 yards and six touchdowns. Brian Kelly also did some major work in the transfer portal with the recruitment of some SEC foes with wide receivers Nic Anderson from Oklahoma and Barion Brown from Kentucky who they hope can create big things in the passing game.
LSU's defense has some less then desirable moments during the 2024 season but they look to put that in the rear view mirror as they head into 2025. The Tigers are lead by their linebacking core especially Harold Perkins Jr and Whit Weeks. Perkins only participated in four games last season but the talent and ability has put him among those who could be picked highly in the upcoming NFL Draft. Weeks had a great 2024 season with 61 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season. If those two are able to wreck opposing offensive gameplans they could make things very challenging for Oklahoma come the end of the season.