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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
5 most important games on the Oklahoma Sooners 2025 schedule
The Oklahoma Sooners will face one of the most challenging schedules in the nation in 2025. It's a result of the 10 years of success they enjoyed prior to joining the SEC. It's a slate that has some tough road trips and difficult stretches of games. But that's what comes with playing in the SEC. OU will face several challenges, but head coach Brent Venables remains confident in his team ahead of the 2025 season. However, not every game is the same, and the teams Oklahoma faces this year have undergone significant turnover from the rosters the Sooners struggled against in 2024. There's an opportunity for OU to have a resurgent season, but they'll need to be on top of their game every single week. For the Sooners to be in playoff contention, these are the five most important games on their 2025 schedule. 1. Michigan Wolverines Typically, it would be tough to argue that a week two nonconference game holds the most importance in a season. But Oklahoma doesn't simply need to win the game for the record's sake; they need to win it to flip the narrative about the program. It's an early-season matchup between two iconic brands in primetime. The college football world will be watching. The Sooners have high expectations for the 2025 season and getting a win over Michigan in week two would provide a ton of confidence for a team looking to re-establish itself as one of the sport's best. 2. Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns enter the season as the favorites in the SEC. They're among a handful of teams with the best shot to win the national championship. Their Red River Rivals have blown them out in two of Venables' three seasons at the helm. Although there were extenuating circumstances that contributed to Oklahoma's poor offensive performance, it's still a terrible look for the program that invented winning. Going up against the former five-star quarterback Arch Manning, a talented play-caller in Steve Sarkisian, and one of the best defenses in college football the Sooners will face a significant test when they take on the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. The Red River Showdown doesn't just have on-field implications; it can sway recruiting battles. Perception is often reality, and the perception nationally is that Texas is light years ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners. Whether that's the reality or not, the only way to change that perception is to win the game. 3. LSU Tigers The Oklahoma Sooners held a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter on the road in Death Valley in 2024. Then the Sooners gave up a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Anthony Anderson that turned the tide. Including the kick return, the Sooners were outscored 27-3 over the final two and a half quarters. The Sooners' coverage was exposed by Garrett Nussmeier and Chris Hilton, and the offense couldn't respond. OU will welcome the Tigers to Gaylord-Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to close out the regular season. This game could have both short-term and long-term ramifications for the future of the program. The LSU Tigers are expected to be a contender in 2025, and if the Sooners are as good as many think they could be, this game could determine a playoff berth for either team. 4. South Carolina Gamecocks Right after the Oklahoma Sooners play Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns in Dallas, the Sooners have to go on the road to face the South Carolina Gamecocks and LaNorris Sellers in Williams-Brice Stadium in South Carolina. Two tough tests against two of the SEC's best quarterbacks and teams in back-to-back weeks. There isn't a more difficult two-game stretch on the schedule for the Oklahoma Sooners. Obviously, Oklahoma wants to win both games, but for them to maintain any playoff aspirations for 2025, they have to come out of this two-game stretch at least 1-1. Lose both and OU would have to run the table over the final five games of the season. 5. Alabama Crimson Tide The Oklahoma Sooners pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season when they beat Alabama 24-3 in Norman last season. The win knocked Alabama out of playoff contention and provided a glimpse of what the Sooners could be along the offensive line when everyone is healthy. The defense was stout, shutting down Jalen Milroe in the run game and picking off a couple of passes that led to scores. Alabama is expected to be a contender this year and you know the Crimson Tide faithful will want to make the Sooners pay for last year's upset. Coming out of a bye week, the road trip to Tuscaloosa will kick off a pivotal three-game stretch to close the season against Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. 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 John on X @john9williams.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What is the Oklahoma Sooners make-or-break game in 2025?
One game does not make or break a season. However, for the Oklahoma Sooners, overcoming some early tests will be pivotal in determining how much the Sooners improved, or didn't, from last year's 6-7 season. Though the Sooners were picked to finish 10th in the SEC preseason media poll, they have a chance to be one of the surprises in college football this season. Writers at were tasked with picking one game for each of their preseason top-25 teams that could swing the season. For OU, that game comes early. In Week 2, the Sooners could build some serious momentum when Michigan comes to town for a prime-time game. A win against the Wolverines would give the Sooners a real chance at a 5-0 start entering the Red River Showdown against Texas on Oct. 6. - Chris Low, ESPN Oklahoma, ranked 25th in ESPN's preseason rankings, may have struggled last year, putting coach Brent Venables on the hot seat, but a 5-0 start is not unfamiliar. The Sooners began the 2023 season at 6-0 before stumbling midway through the year with one-score losses in back-to-back weeks against Kansas and Oklahoma State. This year, OU opens the season with a favorable matchup against FCS' Illinois State before Michigan comes to town. A road game against Temple follows, then the Sooners' first SEC home game against Auburn. Oklahoma will then host Kent State before the Red River Showdown against what is likely to be a top-10 Texas team. Opening the season 5-0 going into the Texas game is huge, considering the difficulty in the back half of the schedule. After the Texas game, the Sooners will go on the road to face South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee and will host Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU. There's the possibility that all six of those games could be against a ranked opponent. Getting off to a hot start, including a win over Michigan, is paramount to the Sooners' success in 2025. Oklahoma is also considered the most important game for No. 19 Michigan and No. 3 Texas. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.
Fox Sports
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Top Performances Joel Klatt Has Called: Tavon Austin Surprises vs. Oklahoma
The college football offseason is not only a great time to look ahead, but it's also a great time to do some reflection. In the latest episode of my podcast, I did a little reflection thanks to a mailbag question. A fan named Roy L asked me which player had the best performance in a game that I've called. Honestly, that's such a difficult question to answer. I can't pick just one because there have been so many incredible performances. So, I'm going to share my top five individual performances I've ever called instead. Throughout this week, I'll go one by one through my top five, in descending order. We're now down to my No. 1 pick. Before sharing which performance tops the list, I have a pair of honorable mentions that I want to give shout-outs to. Kyler Murray in the 2018 Red River Showdown was phenomenal. Texas won that game, but the former Oklahoma quarterback had a run down the sideline in that game that's still probably the singular best play I've ever seen. The other honorable mention I had was Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett's comeback performance against Penn State in 2017. If you remember, Saquon Barkley took the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but Barrett was incredible in that game. I just couldn't find a spot for him on that list. Here's the full list to this point: 5. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. & EDGE JT Tuimoloau at Penn State (2022) 4. Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson vs. Ohio State (2021) 3. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield vs. Oklahoma State (2017) 2. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter vs. TCU (2023) No. 1 might come as a surprise to some, but it was truly an incredible performance. 1. West Virginia WR Tavon Austin vs. Oklahoma (2012) I had to go into the way-back machine for my No. 1 pick. I feel like not many people remember this game, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Austin wasn't West Virginia's running back. He was one of the Mountaineers' leading receivers in 2012 and in the two seasons prior to that. But because of injuries at running back, West Virginia threw a bit of a curveball. Austin lined up at tailback from the jump. I thought, "Well, this is really strange." We weren't told that this was happening in any of the pre-production meetings, so we were caught by surprise. To add some more context, this was a night game in Morgantown, as West Virginia was hosting Bob Stoops' Oklahoma squad at the height of his run with the Sooners, who had won three of the last five Big 12 titles at that time. Oklahoma looked poised to win another conference title that year as well, entering that game at 7-2. But there was Austin, playing running back and threatening to upset Oklahoma. He had 21 carries for 344 yards (16.4 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. He also had four receptions for 82 receiving yards in that game, giving him 426 yards of total offense on 25 total touches. He essentially gave the Mountaineers 17 yards every time he got the ball. It was really a remarkable performance. I felt like I was coming out of my skin every single time Austin touched the ball. It was incredible. Unfortunately, his efforts that day didn't result in a victory. Oklahoma won 50-49 after putting up 554 yards and six touchdowns on offense. The last of those six touchdowns was the game-winner with 24 seconds remaining. Austin's performance was a highlight in a largely forgettable 7-6 season for West Virginia, but I'll certainly remember this game for years to come. Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast " The Joel Klatt Show. " Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5 observations from SEC media days
SEC media days came to a close on Thursday with Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko finishing out the four-day event at the podium. It was a fun four days in Atlanta, where I was able to get a better feel for how SEC media feel about the Oklahoma Sooners, in addition to spending some time with the Sooners on Wednesday when they took the stage. Media in attendance were treated to representatives from the Oklahoma contingent, including Brent Venables, John Mateer, R. Mason Thomas, and Robert Spears-Jennings. The group looked ready for the moment and were styling as they took their turn with the SEC media. Here are five takeaways or observations from SEC media days. 1. QB1 cool, calm, collected John Mateer had a notable crowd around him during SEC media days, and he wasn't phased by it in the least. It was his first conference media day appearance after coming from the Pac-12, which featured just Washington State and Oregon State last year. They didn't have a conference media day. He presented a cool, calm, and collected demeanor, which isn't surprising given all of the things that former coaches and teammates said about him when he arrived at Oklahoma. Having an even keel during SEC media days is one thing, but navigating the SEC shark-infested waters of the Gulf is another. But Mateer is no stranger to playing and performing under pressure. While a lot of his numbers came from the designed quarterback run game, a good bit of them also came when he was under pressure and forced to make a play on the fly. 2. Oklahoma Confident You wouldn't expect anything else during talking season, but the Oklahoma contingent spoke confidently about the work they've put and aren't shying away from the expectations. Coming off of a 6-7 season, you'd think they might take a reserved approach, but the guys that were present at SEC media days know they have an opportunity to rewrite the narratives about OU Football this season. 3. Talk of the Town There might not be a team that the general media believes will exceed expectations more than the Oklahoma Sooners. From Digital Drive (formerly Radio Row), a number of SEC media members could be overheard wanting to buy stock in the Oklahoma Sooners. Well, they may want to do it sooner rather than later. 4. Schedule Yes, the schedule is tough. Exactly how tough, nobody knows. Based on the metrics, that take into account recent success on the field and on the recruiting trail, the Oklahoma Sooners may have a daunting slate. But what those numbers don't always take into account are the losses each team endured this offseason. But it's the SEC. Every schedule is going to be tough. It's just some are tougher than others. And while Oklahoma will have a tough slate, especially that stretch of games that starts from the Red River Showdown and runs to the end of the season, the Sooners will also be a tough out every week. This year, the SEC is going to see why Oklahoma ran the Big 12 for two decades. 5. Manning Mania There wasn't a bigger crowd for any one player than the one Texas quarterback Arch Manning received. He's arguably the biggest name in college football ahead of the 2025 season. Some of the hype is deserved. He's a talented former five-star quarterback who has the tools to, at some point in his career, be among the best quarterbacks in college football. However, there's hesitation from many SEC media outlets to crown him at this point. It's not that he can't be a Heisman contender, and he might even be this year, but analysts want to see him prove it on the field. The good news for everyone. Talking season is behind us, and that means we're less than a month and a half away from the start of the 2025 college football season. 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 John on X @john9williams.
Fox Sports
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Top Performances Joel Klatt has Called: Hunter Introduces Himself as Two-Way Star
The college football offseason is not only a great time to look ahead, but it's also a great time to do some reflection. In the latest episode of my podcast, I did a little reflection thanks to a mailbag question. A fan named Roy L asked me which player had the best performance in a game that I've called. Honestly, that's such a difficult question to answer. I can't pick just one because there have been so many incredible performances. So, I'm going to share my top five individual performances I've ever called instead. Throughout this week, I'll go one by one through my top five, in descending order. I have a pair of honorable mentions that I want to give shout-outs to. Kyler Murray in the 2018 Red River Showdown was phenomenal. Texas won that game, but the former Oklahoma quarterback had a run down the sideline in that game that's still probably the singular best play I've ever seen. The other honorable mention I had was Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett's comeback performance against Penn State in 2017. If you remember, Saquon Barkley took the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but Barrett was incredible in that game. I just couldn't find a spot for him on that list. Here's the full list to this point: 5. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. & Edge JT Tuimoloau @ Penn State (2022) 4. Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson vs. Ohio State (2021) 3. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield vs. Oklahoma State (2017) Now, onto No. 2, which was a game that introduced the college football world to an iconic player. 2. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter vs. TCU (2023) You've got to understand the hype going into this game surrounding Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter. This was their first game at Colorado, and I remember pounding the table in conversations with FOX Sports executives that we needed to select this game early in the Big 12 TV draft. I think I told them that this should be the second game taken in the draft that year, behind Red River. They were surprised, but I knew the hype train with Colorado was real and everyone wanted to watch to see what Coach Prime would look like. Colorado was also taking on the previous season's runner-up in TCU and I thought it'd be better to have the Buffaloes on our air earlier rather than later. That game wound up being a wild one. There was some great football, while the hype surrounding Sanders and Hunter manifested. We had heard all these things about whether Hunter could play both ways at Colorado, especially as it felt like 130 degrees on the field in Fort Worth that day. Hunter went out there and played a mind-boggling 152 snaps in that heat, which was incredible. From that day, moving forward, I knew Hunter was a star and arguably the best player in college football. He had 11 receptions for 119 yards on offense, which is difficult to do in most circumstances. Defensively, Hunter had one of the greatest interceptions I've ever seen. In the red zone, Hunter came off his man in coverage and dove in front of the intended receiver in the flat to make the grab. What you won't see is that earlier in that series, Hunter ran down and tackled the TCU running back on a 74-yard run. In the first half, Hunter and Sanders actually failed to connect on a pass in the end zone. Sanders gave a great pre-halftime interview with Jenny Taft, telling her "We missed on two deep balls. [If] he gets those two deep balls, the Heisman is at his crib chillin' right now." That line epitomized Sanders' swag and the swag of the Colorado program. Colorado won that game, 45-42, but that year didn't go how they wanted it to go. The Buffs went 4-8, with Hunter missing some time due to injury later in the year. He wound up winning the Heisman a year later, though. Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast " The Joel Klatt Show. " Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
