Oklahoma football: Sooners get another top-25 vote of confidence from Athlon Sports

Oklahoma football continues to inch upward in the post-spring top-25 projections for the 2023 college football season.

Recently, USA Today issued its post-spring top-25 for the coming season and improved Oklahoma’s ranking from No. 21 in its way-too-early top-25 preview, which came out immediately following Georgia’s College Football Playoff national championship victory over TCU, moving the Sooners up three spots to No. 18.

Similarly, the college football staff at 247Sports changed its forecast for Oklahoma ahead of the 2023 season, listing the Sooners at No. 20 in its post-spring top-25 ranking, three spots higher than its No. 23 positioning in January.

This week, Athlon Sports has joined the party coming out with its 2023 top-25 projections. Athlon ranks the Sooner 16th in its post-spring college football top-25 rankings.

"“Year 1 for Brent Venables in Norman didn’t go according to plan, as the Sooners posted their first losing season since 1998,” writes Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports. “However, a wide-open Big 12 and a roster returning 12 starters, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel, should be enough for Oklahoma to return to Big 12 title contention…“Also, Oklahoma is due for a little better luck after losing five games by seven or fewer points in ’22”"

The burning question surrounding OU’s expected bounce back in 2023, of course, is how much improvement can be expected in an Oklahoma defense that finished 121st out of 131 FBS teams in total defense last season.

Venables has stocked up heavily in defensive talent in the 2023 recruiting class and incoming transfers, specifically to improve the pass rush and strengthen the back end of the defense. Appreciable improvement in the defense could make all the difference in a dramatic turnaround for the Sooners in 2023.