Not everyone can actually say this, even in the days of a 12-team College Football Playoff, but the Oklahoma Sooners have a chance to win a national championship next season.
Even though a champion hasn't even been crowned yet from this season's College Football Playoff, Vegas oddsmakers are already putting out odds on what teams could win the national championship next season in 2026, and the Sooners are included.
DraftKings and FanDuel both gave OU odds for winning the national championship in 2026. DraftKings gave the Sooners the best odds at +7000, which was No. 17 among teams that DraftKings listed. Ohio State had the best odds at +450, followed by a pair of SEC teams in Texas (+500) and Georgia (+550).
FanDuel gave OU +7500 odds. That was 20th among the teams FanDuel gave odds for. The Sooners were right behind Louisville, SMU and Auburn, which will have former OU quarterback Jackson Arnold as its QB1 next season. Ohio State (+450), Texas (+650) and Georgia (+650) once again had the best three odds.
So what's that mean for Sooner Nation drinking the crimson Kool-Aid? It would take just the faith of a mustard seed to win a good chunk of change if the Sooners hoist the trophy next season.
At +7500 odds from FanDuel, just a $10 bet on OU would have a payout of $760 if the Sooners won the national championship at the end of next season. If you had $100 worth of faith in Brent Venables & Co., it would pay $7,600.
The Sooners are coming off their second losing season in three years after finishing 2024 at 6-7 in their first season in the SEC. There's still optimism for the future, though, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
OU was atrocious on offense this season, leading to offensive coordinator Seth Littrell getting fired midway through his first season calling plays for the Sooners. Venables hired former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to replace Littrell.
Arbuckle is not only one of the best young offensive minds in college football, but he also brought with him quarterback John Mateer, who was ranked as the No. 1 player available in the transfer portal.
OU hopefully fixing up a horrendous offense and maintaining a top-25 defensive unit leads to hope for the Sooners next season.