Not every college football expert agrees with the SEC Preseason Media Poll that projected the Oklahoma Sooners to finish in seventh place in the SEC standings this season.
One expert who believes this could be a very special season for Oklahoma football is ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy. In his "Always College Football" podcast this week, McElroy listed the Sooners as one of four SEC teams -- along with Texas, Georgia and Ole Miss -- that not only are good enough to make the College Football Playoff this season, but capable of finishing the job.
In McElroy's words, this is not a "can they make the playoff question, this is a can they win the whole thing?"
McElroy broke down the 16 SEC teams into five separate tiers. After the top tier, made up of the Sooners, Texas, Georgia and Ole Miss, the former Alabama quarterback-turned-media analyst grouped Texas A&M, Alabama and LSU in Tier 2, labeling them as additional SEC playoff contenders.
McElroy put Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida in Tier 3. He placed Missouri, Auburn and Vanderbilt in Tier 4, describing them as bowl eligible teams. Tier 5 consisted of Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas, representing the bottom of the conference.
Oklahoma has weapons to win national title if John Mateer improves
Most of the media pushback on Oklahoma repeating its 10-win season and sustaining the success from a year ago centers around another brutal schedule, including matchups against three top-25 teams in the first five games. Also part of the skepticism are questions surrounding quarterback John Mateer and his ability to improve upon his injury-hindered 2025 season.
Unlike many of his media peers, McElroy is a believer that the pieces are certainly there and that the adjustments and personnel additions that head coach Brent Venables and his staff have made this offseason will indeed result in a markedly improved offensive performance in 2026, led by a healthy Mateer behind a more formidable offensive line and with a better group of offensive weapons around him.
Read more: John Mateer keeps giving Oklahoma fans every reason to believe in 2026
A vastly improved and balanced offense is the X factor in Oklahoma living up to McElroy's lofty expectations for the Sooners this season.
The SEC is stacked with premier quarterbacks possessing raw physical gifts. What truly separates the good from the great, though, is the ability to make good decisions with the ball under pressure. This is an area in which Mateer struggled in his debut season at Oklahoma and in the SEC, regardless of his thumb injury.
Mateer's maturation and growth will be the critical difference between good and great for Oklahoma football in 2026.
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