Where do Oklahoma Sooners land in ESPN's latest FPI?
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
16 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Divers try to rescue whale entangled in rope — with a shark in tow, video shows
Divers off the coast of Mexico recently tried to free a humpback whale wrapped up in fishing gear — with a shark in tow, video shows. Conservation officials labeled the undertaking as 'dangerous.' The attempted rescue mission took place in the turquoise waters of the Gulf of California, near the city of La Paz, on June 5. 'Working hard trying to rescue an entangled (humpback) whale near Espiritu Santo island,' Chabe Castillo wrote in a Facebook post. 'There was still a shark in that net!! Crazy!!' A video posted by Castillo shows the marine mammal swimming close to the rocky shore with a thick bundle of fishing gear — including twisted ropes and numerous buoys — ensnared around its tail. Attached to the entanglement was a shark, seemingly lifeless, whose body had become intertwined with ropes. A separate video shows a diver approaching the whale and cutting and removing a piece of the entanglement with a knife. Soon after the videos were posted, a conservation group applauded the effort but said it should have been left to professionals. 'A huge thank you to those who tried to help the entangled whale in La Paz but we need for everyone to understand that these actions were dangerous for the people in the water and will make actual rescue of this whale more difficult,' the Mexico Marine Wildlife Rescue Center wrote in a post. The incident should instead have been reported to the National Network for Care of Entangled Whales (RABEN) so that trained teams could have responded, the group said. The group further stressed that untrained individuals should never approach entangled whales. 'In addition to the risk of being injured by the large mammal who is in distress, there is a high likelihood of becoming entangled yourself,' the post stated. 'If that animal dives while a person is caught up in the net they can easily drown…' The group added that cutting away parts of an entanglement could actually do more harm than good — as it could complicate a rescue attempt undertaken by professionals. 'We do not say this to make anyone feel bad, only to make everyone aware of the serious risks,' the post concluded. Humpback whales, which are found throughout all the world's oceans, can weigh up to 40 tons and measure up to 60 feet in length, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Entanglements with fishing gear are among the risks they face, which also include vessel strikes and ocean noise. Globally, an estimated 300,000 cetaceans — which include whales and dolphins — die each year as a result of entanglements and getting caught by anglers, according to the International Whaling Commission.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oregon WR Evan Stewart could miss 2025 season after suffering reported knee injury
Evan Stewart transferred to Oregon from Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 season. (Photo by Robin Alam/) Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart could miss part or all of the 2025 season after suffering a knee injury earlier in the week. Per ESPN, the injury is 'potentially season-ending.' According to On3, Stewart tore his patellar tendon. Advertisement Stewart was set to be Oregon's top returning receiver for the 2025 season. He was Oregon's second-leading receiver in 2024 with 48 catches for 613 yards and 5 touchdowns. Only Tez Johnson had more catches than Stewart, who missed the Ducks' Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State because of a lower back injury. Stewart is a former five-star recruit who signed with Texas A&M out of high school. He was the No. 33 prospect in the country and the No. 4 wide receiver in his class behind 2025 NFL draft picks Luther Burden III and Tetairoa McMillan and LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson. The 2024 season was Stewart's first with the Ducks after two seasons with the Aggies. He had 91 catches for 1,163 yards and 6 TDs over 18 games at A&M. If Stewart is out for the season, the Ducks will need to replace both Johnson and Stewart at wide receiver along with TE Terrance Ferguson as Johnson and Ferguson are headed to the NFL. Oregon will also have a new quarterback after Dillon Gabriel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns and former UCLA QB Dante Moore presumably takes over as the starter. Oregon went 13-0 in the regular season and won the Big Ten title before losing to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
Forbes
21 minutes ago
- Forbes
NiJaree Canady Inks Second $1M NIL Deal To Stay At Texas Tech
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JUNE 05: NiJaree Canady #24 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates after ... More striking out the final batter of game two of the Women's College World Series championship series against the Texas Longhorns at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium on June 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Texas Tech won the game 4-3. (Photo by) Hours before the national title deciding game three of the Women's College World Series, ESPN reported that Stanford transfer and now Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady inked a second historic $1 million dollar deal with the Red Raiders NIL collective, the Matador Club. Canady has thrown every inning of the WCWS for the Red Raiders, all 504 pitches. Canady led her team to a Game two victory at the WCWS on Thursday, June 5 that forced the winner-takes-all showdown. Canady is a superstar two way player as she currently boasts a 0.97 earned run average, 317 strikeouts, .156 opposing batting average, but also hits .280 with 11 home runs. According to her agent Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, Texas Tech wanted to reward Canady for her outstanding play and keep her within the Red Raider program another year. He said, 'Nija Canady is the most electrifying player in softball. She's box office and she goes out every day and competes. The decision to stay at Tech was not difficult. This program has taken care of her. They have showed how much she is appreciated. The entire staff, her teammates, the school in general have been great." ESPN did not report the amount of the deal, but her previous year's deal was worth $1,050,024, $1 million in NIL money, $50,000 for living expenses, and $24 to represent her collegiate number. However, reported that they believe the deal is at least $1.2 million. Again, it is safe to say that Texas Tech, a program that has never even made the NCAA post season would not be in the WCWS, much less the championship series, one win away from a national title without Canady. Follow me for more softball and women's sports news on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
