All preseason and even since the season kicked off, there has been the narrative of the Oklahoma Sooners’ loaded schedule, and the reason why is here.
After the release of the Associated Press Top 25 for Week 9, the No. 13 Sooners will finish their 2025 season against five ranked opponents in a row, starting with No. 8 Ole Miss at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Norman.
New Top 25 cements why Sooners' season could go either way
BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/0uhQNsSFok pic.twitter.com/CJRIr5XADX
— On3 (@On3sports) October 19, 2025
The Sooners’ schedule to this point shouldn’t be considered easy and was tougher than most, but it was still just an appetizer for the meat of their schedule.
OU’s 6-1 start included three wins over lackluster nonconference opponents, a massive victory at the time over Michigan, and two SEC wins against Auburn and South Carolina. There was also the ugly 23-6 loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry two weeks ago.
After Texas’ poor showing against Kentucky on Saturday, though, it’s clear the Longhorns, Auburn and South Carolina were the three softest conference opponents on the Sooners’ schedule. Michigan just snuck back into the rankings at No. 25, but every matchup ahead for the Sooners should still be more of a challenge than the Wolverines were with a freshman quarterback in Norman.
After hosting Ole Miss on Saturday, the Sooners travel to No. 17 Tennessee and No. 4 Alabama, then conclude the season with home games against No. 15 Missouri and No. 20 LSU. All, like the Sooners, are also still fighting for a seat in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Bad news first is that the Sooners could still finish with an extremely disappointing season that could be on par to last year. However, with a glass half full of crimson Kool-Aid, the Sooners still have every opportunity ahead of them to solidify themselves into that 12-team field for the College Football Playoff, and could even sneak in at 9-3 after barely going above .500 the rest of the way.