Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is not on the hot seat heading into the 2026 college football season, but that doesn't mean his job is as safe and secure as some believe it is.
Venables had one of the hottest seats in college football this time last year, but after getting the Sooners to the College Football Playoff in 2025, a bucket of ice was thrown on his throne. College football analysts have been releasing hot seat lists all offseason, and Venables, rightfully so, hasn't been included. CBS Sports, though, went so far as to label Venables' job as "Safe and secure" based on its hot seat rating system. And some OU fans would even agree with that. Not so fast.
Read more: Ranking where Brent Venables belongs among SEC head coaches
According to CBS Sports, Venables' hot seat rating in its table was 1.9 out of 5, with 5 being the hottest and labeled "Win or be fired." For comparison, Venables' rating last year was 4.7, way up there in that "Win or be fired" category. Then, Venables had just suffered a second losing record in three seasons as it started to feel like the John Blake era in Norman.
Venables obviously bounced back, going 10-2 during the regular season while navigating a treacherous SEC schedule to avoid being fired. With his job clearly on the line, he went back to his roots as a defensive coordinator and took control of the Sooners' defense. That was the change that kept Venables employed as his unit carried Oklahoma as a contender, even as the offense sputtered.
Brent Venables’ job at OU can never be as secure as some believe it is now
This is Oklahoma, though. It's a blue-blood program with yearly national championship aspirations, and the fan base is more irritable than ever, 26 years since last celebrating a title. The lack of a trophy is even more aggravating considering the Sooners have made the CFP with a shot at a championship five times but still haven't even won a playoff game, including last season when Venables' team squandered a 17-0 lead to Alabama at home in Norman.
One season and one playoff appearance do not provide long-term job security at a place like Oklahoma. There's a bigger picture and bigger goals.
We saw just last season Penn State fire James Franklin after a 3-3 start, only a few months after he led the Nittany Lions to the CFP. For reference, Franklin's job status on that same CBS Sports table was 1.33 heading into 2025. He seemed invincible. But no one is at a place like Penn State or Oklahoma, because complacency cannot exist.
Venables could find himself in the same uncomfortable situation as Franklin because of the Sooners' grueling start to the schedule that includes matchups away from Norman against Michigan, Georgia and Texas. A 2-3 start, especially one that includes a third loss in a row in the Red River Rivalry, would have Venables sweating again.
Athletic director Roger Denny and the rest of OU's administration won't pull the trigger as quickly as Penn State did, especially since the rest of the Sooners' slate still gives hope for a late run into the CFP. But a fourth loss, dashing all CFP chances, could be enough for the Sooners to move on and start searching for a coach who can beat Texas and finally win a playoff game.
OU fans shouldn't want that fate for Venables to be fired. Stability is rare in college football today, and it's one of the Sooners' greatest strengths right now. But it'd be naive to believe Venables' job is actually safe, and fans shouldn't want that either.
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