Oklahoma’s 2026 season is starting to look uncomfortably familiar under Brent Venables.
The Sooners are 2-2 through four games, and that record comes with some rough company: two ranked opponents already faced, and No. 1 Texas waiting next week in Dallas. It’s still early, with two-thirds of the season left, but the first month has done little to calm the nerves around a program that expected more after last year’s 10-3 finish.
That 2025 run had plenty going for it. Oklahoma survived one of the nation’s toughest schedules and still managed to finish 10-3, despite an offense that was uneven, banged up and inconsistent.
After that, the bar for 2026 was set higher. Instead, the Sooners have spent the opening stretch looking stuck, especially on offense.
And for Venables, the concern is bigger than a slow start.
Oklahoma has had just two losing seasons in the last 27 years. Both came during Venables’ tenure.
Twice under him, the Sooners have bounced back from a 6-7 season with a 10-win year, including the campaign that sent them to the College Football Playoff for the first time in six seasons. But this is 2026, an even-numbered year, and the pattern in Norman has become hard to ignore.
If the Sooners finish below .500 again, Venables would become only the third head coach in Oklahoma history to have three losing seasons. Bennie Owen did it in 22 seasons.
John Blake did it in three. Barry Switzer never had one in 16 seasons.
Bob Stoops never had one in 18. Bud Wilkinson had just one in 17.
The defense is still carrying its end of the bargain. That side of the ball remains one of the best in the sport, just as expected. The offense, though, has gone backward.
Last season, Oklahoma ranked 92nd in total offense and 79th in scoring. This year, those numbers have slipped to 123rd and 110th.
Quarterback John Mateer has taken most of the heat, and with good reason after six turnovers in the last three games. But the problems are wider than one player.
The issues run through most every position group, which makes a quick turnaround hard to picture.
The schedule only adds pressure. Oklahoma’s final eight regular-season games include six teams currently in the Associated Press Top 25, and four of those matchups are on the road. To get to bowl eligibility and avoid a losing season, the Sooners need to win at least four of those eight.
That context makes Oklahoma’s contract move look even more questionable now. Just before the 2026 season, the school extended Venables through 2031 on a deal worth $63 million over six seasons and $10 million per year. It also left Oklahoma with an even more costly buyout than the one attached to his original contract.
The Sooners’ remaining regular-season schedule is loaded:
Oct. 10 -- vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns in Dallas
Oct. 17 -- vs. No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats
Oct. 24 -- at No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs
Oct. 31 -- vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Nov. 7 -- at No. 8 Florida Gators
Nov. 14 -- vs. No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels
Nov. 21 -- vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Nov. 28 -- at No. 25 Missouri Tigers
In Other News...
Oklahoma's Run Game Desperately Needs What Tory Blaylock Could Bring
Oklahomas ground game has been grinding through a difficult 2026 season, and the Sooners are still looking for a spark to make it more functional. Through the early going, they have been stuck at 99 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry, with Lloyd Avant taking on the bulk of the work but finding little room to break through consistently.
Tory Blaylock could be the piece that changes the feel of that offense. The sophomore missed time with an injury and has only had limited carries so far, but his past efficiency and speed have stood out enough to make him a real candidate for a bigger role moving forward. If Oklahoma is going to get its run game moving in the right direction, Blaylock looks like the kind of back who could help it happen. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Jackson Is Giving Oklahoma Exactly What This Defense Needed
Jayden Jackson has been one of the steadying forces for Oklahomas defense early in the 2026 season, giving the Sooners dependable play in the middle while the rest of the unit works through some uneven moments. The junior defensive tackle has piled up 15 total tackles and backed that up with a strong Pro Football Focus defensive grade, the kind of production that helps explain why the front has stayed effective even as the defense around him has had to keep adjusting.
What makes Jacksons start even more valuable is the timing. Oklahoma has been good on that side of the ball, but the missed tackles have been hard to ignore, with 49 of them over the first four games, and that leaves plenty of room for the Sooners to tighten things up. Senior captain Kip Lewis has pointed to Jacksons consistency and leadership as part of that process, and for a defense still chasing cleaner execution, having a player in the interior who keeps showing up the same way every week matters. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas 2028 Recruiting Push Is Starting To Get Very Real
Oklahomas early work on the 2028 class is picking up steam, and the next two months could give the Sooners a meaningful foothold with several highly regarded prospects. Running back Jayshawn Mitchell, offensive lineman Nick McChesney, athlete Kamieon Compton-Nero and edge rusher Keoni Snipes are all scheduled to visit Norman, giving Brent Venables and his staff a chance to keep building relationships well before those players reach the heart of their recruiting timelines.
The interesting part for Oklahoma is that these are not simply courtesy stops on the itinerary. Each of the visitors is also mapping out trips to other programs, and some have already trimmed their lists with the Sooners still in the mix. For a staff trying to stay ahead in the next cycle, getting that many early visits lined up is a sign the pitch is landing, even if the real decision-making is still a long way off. [Read more 🡒]