Where do Oklahoma Sooners land in ESPN's latest FPI?
The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to bounce back after a poor 2024 season that saw them go 6-7. Now, in 2025, Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables and Year 2 in the Southeastern Conference is a pivotal season for both the present and the future of the program.
OU plays in the loaded SEC and isn't among the favorites to compete for the conference title in 2025. However, ESPN's latest Football Power Index believes Oklahoma will be much better than they were a year ago.
According to ESPN's Neil Paine, "The FPI is a predictive rating system that estimates each FBS team's strength (in points per game relative to the national average) on offense, defense and special teams, making adjustments for starters lost, recruiting talent and other personnel changes. Those numbers are then plugged into the schedule, and everything is simulated 20,000 times to track each team's odds of winning its conference, making the playoff and advancing through to the national title."
Oklahoma came in at No. 17 in ESPN's FPI. While that's a very good mark, it actually puts them tenth in the SEC, speaking to the overall strength of the league.
The offseason additions of GM Jim Nagy, OC Ben Arbuckle, QB John Mateer, and RB Jaydn Ott, along with Venables taking command of the defense, have put the Sooners in a position to show marked improvement in 2025. Other moves like adding offensive analyst Kevin Wilson and LB coaches Nate Dreiling and Wes Goodwin to the staff and retaining DT David Stone are under the radar, but they could pay big dividends as well.
However, the Sooners play what's been billed as college football's toughest schedule. They play eight of the top 20 teams in the FPI. In fact, OU's only game against Power Four competition that doesn't see them face a team in the FPI's top 20 is against Missouri.
Additionally, FPI projects that the Sooners will have the ninth-best defense in the country in 2025. That defense was the only reason Oklahoma didn't lose even more games a year ago, and despite losing Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman Jr. to the NFL Draft, that unit has a chance to be good again this year.
FPI thinks that two Oklahoma games are among the biggest games of the entire season. The first is on October 11th, when the Sooners take on the Texas Longhorns in the annual Red River Rivalry matchup. Texas ranked No. 1 in the FPI. The other is on November 15th, when OU travels to face the Alabama Crimson Tide, who are ranked No. 3 in the FPI.
The Sooners have a chance to be one of the most improved teams in Power Four in 2025. However, Venables and Co. will have to navigate an absolutely brutal schedule if they want to have a chance to make the College Football Playoff.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
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