Brent Venables makes a middle-of-the-road Oklahoma offense enough to be a title contender

The expectations for Oklahoma's offense in 2026 aren't exactly sky-high, but thanks to Brent Venables' defense, that's just fine.

On3's Crain & Cone podcast recently predicted the Sooners to have the No. 6 offense in the SEC this season, which is about where most other college football experts see OU as well. A middle-of-the-pack offense sounds irritating to some OU fans who got accustomed to the Lincoln Riley era and even before in Norman, but this is a new, actually old, Oklahoma. Venables has taken the Sooners back to being a program built on a defensive foundation.

The defense is elite, so the offense no longer has to be.

Sooners don't need a top offense as long as Brent Venables leads the defense

The Sooners' offense, especially in the run game, must be better in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. There's no doubt about that. In 2025, OU ranked 12th in the SEC in scoring (26.23 a game) and total yardage (354.31 a game). That was better than only four other teams in the conference, and all of the teams below OU finished with losing records, with three even firing their coaches.

Things were even worse when you look at the running game specifically. The Sooners' 118.46 rushing yards a game was No. 13 in the SEC.

Yet, even with an abysmal offense, the Sooners got through an extremely difficult regular-season schedule at 10-2 and made the College Football Playoff. Many called it ugly and even accused OU of being a bad team based on their own eye test, but college football fans and media have just grown accustomed to seeing high-flying offenses with lackluster defenses more often than the opposite. That includes Sooner Nation.

Venables should once again be in charge of one of the best defenses in the country that's assembled with program guys. Last season, the Sooners led the SEC in scoring defense, yards allowed per game and sacks. That's why Oklahoma was a playoff team.

Read more: Baker Mayfield is fully bought into Brent Venables leading the Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners should also be better on the offensive side of the ball with a healthy John Mateer at quarterback, as he and Arbuckle now have experience against SEC defenses. OU also surrounded Mateer with more weapons at receiver, and he's behind a more experienced offensive line that included three freshmen last year and returns four starters.

Still, no matter how improved, the Sooners' offense won't be on the same level as the defense, which is one of the best units in college football. But to emphasize it one more time, it doesn't need to be. Last season was proof of that.

If the Sooners do improve enough to trot out the No. 6 offense in the SEC, that would, theoretically, be closer to Georgia's 32.07 points a game last season. That's the difference of a touchdown per game. For most teams, having to find the end zone one more time against Venables' defense is an impossible task.

Mateer lowering his interception count would also benefit OU's defense while obviously doing the same offensively. Heck, another touchdown and one less Mateer pick, and the Sooners beat Alabama in the first round of the CFP.

There's no reason to sweat even an average offense in Oklahoma, because that's really all Venables needs to compete for a national title. Now, if the Sooners do reach a gear on offense that even rivals what the defense can do, they're doing a lot more than just competing.

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