The SEC Preseason Football Media Poll won't be released till later in the week in conjunction with the conference's annual July media event, but USA Today has taken its own swing at how the SEC standings could shake out this season and Oklahoma was the biggest mover of the lot.
USA Today national college football writer Paul Myerberg this week published his SEC football power rankings of how he thinks the 16 SEC teams will end up once the dust settles in the 2025 regular season. He has the Sooners at No. 6, which is a jump of eight spots from their 14th-place finish a year ago.
OU in top half of SEC
Myerberg is betting that quarterback John Mateer and new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, whom were paired together last season at Washington State, "will change the fortunes of the Oklahoma offense," which was a mere shell of its historic self in the Sooners' disappointing 6-7 season in 2024.
"With fewer questions on the defensive side (combined with the offseason adjustments on offense), OU could go from six wins to the playoff," Myerberg wrote. That should be music to the ears of Sooner fans, but of course Brent Venables and Co. still have to prove they are worthy by their performance on the field. And the daunting SEC schedule remains a big obstacle."
Three of the five teams listed ahead of Oklahoma in Myerberg's SEC Power Rankings are on the Sooners' 2025 schedule, as well as six of the top-10 teams.
Myerberg ranked Texas as the favorite in the SEC and potentially the team to beat for the 2025 national championship. Georgia was a close No. 2, followed by Alabama, LSU and Florida.
The USA Today Sports Network also published its Preseason All-SEC Team. Running back Jaydn Ott, who transferred to Oklahoma from California, was one of the two first-team running backs, and OU quarterback John Mateer was the Preseason Newcomer of the Year.
Riddled with injuries a year ago, the Oklahoma offense finished 97th in the country among FBS teams in scoring (24.0 points a game) and 113th in total offense (331.0 yards per game). That was the worst performance by an OU offense in 26 seasons.
Oklahoma opens the 2025 season at home on Aug. 30 against Illinois State. The SEC opener is Sept. 20 in Norman against Auburn, a team Myerberg projected will finish 12th in the SEC this season.
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