Imagine stepping into a boxing ring, only to realize you’re fighting Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and Floyd Mayweather at the same time. That’s what Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners are facing in 2025. The SEC didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for their debut season, and after a humiliating 6-7 record in 2024, the message is clear: this conference doesn’t play around. Now, with a schedule that looks like it was handcrafted by King Von (Devil himself), Venables is on the thinnest ice imaginable.
Brad Crawford from 247Sports didn’t hold back on March 24th, putting Venables right on the hot seat: “I’m going Brent Venables at Oklahoma—kind of surprising, but his buyout actually lowers to $35 million after 2025. It was $45.6 million after last season. That’s outside of the top 10. BK’s (Brian Kelly) buyout is bigger at LSU, Lincoln Riley’s somewhere around $80 million. Mike Norvell’s buyout is huge at Florida State. Those are all guys on the proverbial hot seat, but Venables has to win now. We still aren’t sure what he is as a head coach.” Crawford’s got a point. Two 6-7 seasons sandwiching a 10-3 year? That ain’t gonna fly in Norman, where expectations are sky-high. With Oklahoma’s NIL money and history, they expect playoff runs, not participation trophies. Venables has no choice—2025 is do or die.
Nov 12, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables argues a call with an official during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Here’s the straight-up reality: Oklahoma fans don’t do mediocrity. This ain’t some bottom-feeder program where a 6-7 season gets shrugged off. In Norman, losing doesn’t just sting—it puts your job on the line. And right now? Brent Venables is feeling the heat. The 2024 season was an absolute train wreck. The offense? Dead on arrival—ranked 126th in total yards per game and 110th in scoring. Translation: borderline unwatchable. The defense low-key held its own (19th in yards allowed), but when your offense moves like a car stuck in neutral, it doesn’t matter. That won’t fly in the SEC.
Now, all the excuses are off the table. The Sooners revamped their offensive line, brought in Ben Arbuckle as OC, and upgraded at quarterback with John Mateer. On paper, that’s a step up. But reality check—they’re still stepping into an all-out brawl. Bottom line? Venables has to deliver at least nine wins, or he’s toast. No sugarcoating it. If he can’t prove Oklahoma belongs in the SEC….never mind. And let’s not even talk about the nightmare schedule that awaits. Actually, let’s do just that…
Oklahoma Sooners 2025 season: schedule breakdown & verdict
No room for error. No second chances. Oklahoma’s got one of the nastiest schedules in the country, and Vegas knows it too—their projected win total sits at 6.3, with a 0.771 strength of schedule rating. Translation? They’re in for a world of hurt. The Sooners aren’t just stepping into SEC life—they’re diving headfirst into a meat grinder. They open soft against Illinois State (cool, warm-up game), but then? Oh, it gets real in a hurry. Week 2, they gotta square up against Michigan in Norman. Yeah, that Michigan—reloaded with Bryce Underwood and NIL. Then, just for fun, they hit the road to Philly for a random game against Temple before SEC hell officially begins.
Auburn rolls into Norman on September 20, and that’s when the gloves come off. Texas? Waiting in Dallas on October 11 for the annual Red River bloodbath. Then it’s straight-up survival mode—South Carolina away, Ole Miss at home, Tennessee on the road, and the real boss fight? Alabama in Tuscaloosa on November 15. Oh, and if they somehow still have legs left? They finish with Missouri and LSU back-to-back in Norman.
Seven home games, four road battles, and one war in Dallas—ain’t no cupcake stroll here. This is SEC football at its finest, and the Sooners better be built for it. If they make it out alive, they’ve earned every bit of it. Buckle up, Norman. This ride’s about to get wild.
Let’s keep it real: the odds ain’t looking great. Oklahoma is up against a gauntlet of ranked teams, and if they stumble early, the noise for Venables’ firing is going to be deafening. This ain’t like the old Big 12 days where you could coast past Kansas and Texas Tech and still hit 10 wins. No, in the SEC, if you lose three games, you’re out of the playoff picture. Lose 4? You’re getting laughed out of the building.
Oklahoma’s 2025 schedule? It’s not a test—it’s a punishment. The Football Gods didn’t show a single ounce of mercy when they cooked this up. Brent Venables has to face 5 teams with coaches on the hot seat—the majority of teams Oklahoma faces in 2025 won at least 9 games in 2024. So, do the Sooners have a shot at making the playoffs? Right now, it feels like chasing an oasis in the desert. And for Brent Venables? If this season goes south? That $35 million buyout is gonna look mighty affordable to Oklahoma’s boosters.
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