Oklahoma has experienced just two losing football seasons in the last 27 years. Both have come in the last four seasons during the time that Brent Venables has been head coach.
Twice on Venables watch, the Sooners have followed up a sub-.500 6-7 season with a 10-win campaign, and last season that landed them a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time in six seasons.
After successfully navigating through one of the country's most difficult schedules and with a hit-and-miss offense that battled through injuries and inconsistency to finish out the 2025 season with an impressive 10-3 overall record, expectations were high that the 2026 edition of Oklahoma football could be even better.
A wise soul once said, you are what your record says you are. Well, the Sooners stand 2-2 through the first four games, have already faced two teams currently ranked among the nation's top-25 teams, and have a date looming a week away against the country's top-ranked Texas Longhorns.
Although a 2-2 record is nothing to be ashamed of and it's still relatively early with two-thirds of the college football season remaining, this is Oklahoma we're speaking of, and early indicators tell us that this Sooner team is spinning its wheels, especially on offense, and at least one of the wheels may have just fallen off.
Brent Venables in danger of joining an OU coaching circle of rare distinction
Coincidence or not, disaster seems to strike the Oklahoma football program in the even-numbered years with Venables at the helm. So brace yourself. This is the even-numbered 2026 in the year of our Lord. And there are already signs of imminent trouble.
A third sub-.500 season would make Venables only the third Sooner head coach out of 23 in program history to have as many as three losing seasons (the legendary Bennie Owen in 22 seasons and John Blake in three are the others). By contrast, Barry Switzer (16 seasons) and Bob Stoops (18 seasons) never had a losing season, and Bud Wilkinson (17 seasons) had just one.
The Venables defense remains solid and one of the best in the sport, as you would expect, but offensively, Oklahoma has actually regressed from where it was a year ago. And that, in itself, spells pending disaster.
The Sooners ranked 92nd in total offense and 79th in scoring last season. This season, they rank 123rd and 110th, respectively, in those two statistical categories, and the confidence of starting quarterback John Mateer has hit rock bottom among fans.
Although most of the focus regarding Oklahoma's troubles on offense is on the quarterback, and understandably so given his six turnovers in the last three games, the hard truth is the Sooners' issues on offense are multifaceted and involve most every position group. Because of this complexity, a quick fix is virtually out of the question, and it is difficult to imagine any kind of dramatic change for the remainder of the season.
Oklahoma's remaining eight regular-season schedule includes games against six teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, and four of those contests are away from Norman. The Sooners need to win at least half of the remaining eight games to avoid a losing season and reach bowl eligibility.
All of this brings into question the seemingly hasty decision just ahead of the 2026 season to award Venables a contract extension that now runs through the 2031 season and pays him $63 million over six seasons and $10 million annually. As a result of this ill-timed action, Oklahoma is now strapped with an even more prohibitive buyout of Venables contract than the school was under the initial contract.
Too bad his assistant coaches don't have the same financial protection.
OU's remaining 2026 regular-season schedule
(with each team's current AP ranking and projected Sooner wins in bold)
Oct. 10 -- vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns in Dallas
Oct. 17 -- vs. No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats
Oct. 24 -- at No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs
Oct. 31 -- vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Nov. 7 -- at No. 8 Florida Gators
Nov. 14 -- vs. No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels
Nov. 21 -- vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Nov. 28 -- at No. 25 Missouri Tigers
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