Scott Van Pelt raises tough truth about Oklahoma after return to College Football Playoff

Watching the entire sports world from his desk at Washington D.C., ESPN SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt believes the Oklahoma Sooners are in rarified air, but they're still not where fans want them to be heading into Year 5 under head coach Brent Venables.

Van Pelt on Wednesday was a guest on the Dari Nowkhah Show on The REF in Norman and shared his detailed thoughts on the state of the Sooners' football program after going 10-3 and making the College Football Playoff in 2025.

ESPN's SVP tells Dari Nowkhah that OU is close to the next step

"They got to the playoff, and I felt it was worthy," Van Pelt said. "But I felt like there's -- building programs, short of (Curt) Cignetti in Indiana that just did it in a 180 in two years, it feels like it takes time, and most fan bases aren't real patient these days. So I felt like (Brent )Venables taking the step forward this year was significant. I felt like they deserved their spot. Now, it becomes the real next step."

That next step for the Sooners is actually winning once in the playoff in order to end their national title drought that's now reached a quarter-century. OU's first-round loss to Alabama in 2025 made the Sooners 0-5 in the College Football Playoff and the only program in the country with at least four playoff appearances but no win. If in the same spot again, the Sooners would need four playoff victories to win at all while struggling to just get that first.

"To me, for OU, the next step's the hardest," Van Pelt said. "Getting yourself not just in, but into second weekend, third weekend, title games. And I know that's what OU and Sooners fans want. And I think it can happen. You're on the short list of teams for it could happen for, but I just still think you gotta be realistic and honest with yourself, and recognise that those margins are skinny, man."