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The 2025 college football season is a little over five months away. Teams are in preparation for the fall, hoping for a run to the College Football Playoff through spring ball. Though the Oklahoma Sooners are coming off of a 6-7 season, there's an expectation that OU will be in playoff contention every year, and 2025 will be no different.
They're one of a number of teams across the country facing challenges to get back to the playoff, a place they haven't been since 2019. ESPN highlighted the obstacles for 12 College Football Playoff (ESPN+) contenders but didn't include the Oklahoma Sooners. Teams like Texas, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, and South Carolina were considered contenders. But what do the Sooners need to overcome to land in the field of 12 in 2025?
Here are five obstacles the Sooners need to overcome to make the College Football Playoff.
In 2024, the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line struggled with injuries and struggled with just about everything else throughout the season. The pass protection was inconsistent and the run game couldn't really get going until midseason.
It was a tall task replacing all five starters from the 2023 season made more difficult by the loss of several projected starters in fall camp or in the first few games of the season. A lot of young players received snaps, like Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta. Eddy Pierre-Louis earned some playing time late in the season, but they wanted to maintain his redshirt in a lost season. Though the performances of the Sooners young players were up and down, they gained valuable experience in 2024.
The one thing that went right for Oklahoma's offensive line happened in the offseason. They retained everyone from last year, added veteran offensive tackles Derek Simmons and Luke Baklenko, and brought in arguably the best offensive line recruiting class of the Bill Bedenbaugh era, headlined by Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje.
It's reasonable to have questions about the offensive line heading into the 2025 season. However, the Sooners have good depth to work with. If Bedenbaugh can get some good fortune on the health front, the Sooners will have a chance to be significantly better in 2025.
Combine that with a quarterback in John Mateer, who will process things faster and get the ball out of his hands quicker. That will help the offensive line tremendously.
The Sooners offensive line will be tested early in the season against Michigan in week two. There's no feeling it out period. Bedenbaugh has to have this group ready to go week one.
The Oklahoma Sooners defense took a major leap in 2024. But if there was one area of weakness for the consistently improving unit, it was at cornerback. Cornerback play hurt the Sooners throughout the season. Big plays allowed against Tennessee, Missouri, and LSU turned the complexion of those games.
Some of the issue is not having Gentry Williams healthy and available as he continued to battle a shoulder issue lingering from the 2023 season. Late in the season, the Sooners turned to Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson. They provided some really good moments, but there were moments where their inexperience revealed itself.
In 2025 spring ball, Williams looks healthy, but Bowen is in a boot. Those two are arguably your best cornerbacks. If they can get healthy and stay healthy throughout the 2025 season, the defense will have a chance to be better than what it was in 2024, even with the losses of Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman, and Ethan Downs.
Much of the issue in the passing game in 2024 was the lack of reliable options in the passing game due to injury. Oklahoma turned over the top of their wide receiver room this offseason and by all accounts incoming transfer Javonnie Gibson is taking spring ball by storm. He'll be making a significant jump in competition from Arkansas Pine-Bluff and the FCS to the SEC. Even if what he's doing in spring ball translates to the 2025 season, he won't be able to do it alone.
The Sooners have to find a consistent, reliable option in the passing game to go along with Gibson and make life easier for Mateer. That could be Deion Burks, but he's been limited in spring ball and only played in one game after the Sooners week four loss to Tennessee.
Wide receiver Jayden Gibson suffered a setback in spring ball and may not be ready for the start of the 2025 season. So the Sooners will be looking for guys like Keontez Lewis, Isaiah Sategna, Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon, Elijah Thomas, Emmanuel Choice, or Jasiah Martin to emerge and become a consistent option on the outside opposite Gibson.
Though there were a lot of things outside of Jackson Arnold's control in 2024, he struggled with the controllable as well, like protecting the football. A fumble at the goalline against Tennessee changed the complexion of that game and a fumble in the final minute against Missouri lost the Sooners that game. Ball security was an issue but so was throwing the football. Arnold seemed reluctant to throw the ball at times and didn't look confident in what he was being asked to do. Again, some of that was because he wasn't comfortable in the pocket with the pass protection inconsistencies and didn't have a true starting wide receiver available after Deion Burks went down. Still, there were times he left plays on the field with unwillingness to throw the ball.
So, the Sooners went out and got the best quarterback available in John Mateer and are hoping his dual-threat playmaking ability will be the spark that revitalizes Oklahoma's offense. He's turned a lot of heads with his ability to lead in offseason workouts and has developed a good rapport with his new wide receivers. His familiarity with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the system will give the Sooners a great shot to hit the ground running in 2025.
Mateer doesn't need to be a Heisman contender for the Sooners to be a contender, but he has to be significantly better than the play Oklahoma received at quarterback last year.
The Oklahoma Sooners 2025 schedule is considered one of the toughest, if not the toughest, schedule in the nation. A conference schedule that will be a gauntlet combined with their week two matchup against Michigan give the Sooners a slate that won't be easy to manage.
It's going to be tough sledding trying to improve from the six wins they recorded in 2024 but Oklahoma's done everything they could this offseason to correct the biggest issues on the team from a year ago.
Will that lead to enough wins to make the College Football Playoff or contend in the SEC? There's optimism, but that won't win games.
If the Sooners can get to November with one or fewer losses, they'll have a chance to make a run at the College Football Playoff, but their final four games will tell the tale of the 2025 season. In that four game stretch to close the regular season, the Sooners travel to face Tennessee and Alabama and then close the season at home with Missouri and LSU.
Though J.D. PicKell believes a nine-win Sooners team could make the playoff, 2024 provided the template. Win 10 games in the SEC and you'll make the playoff. Only win nine, and there's a good chance you're getting left out.
Missing the playoff wouldn't spell the end for Brent Venables, but he needs to have this team in contention in November and that means going at least 7-1 in their first eight games. Losing two games before November and making the playoff gets much more difficult.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 5 challenges facing the Oklahoma Sooners to make the CFP
Continue reading...
They're one of a number of teams across the country facing challenges to get back to the playoff, a place they haven't been since 2019. ESPN highlighted the obstacles for 12 College Football Playoff (ESPN+) contenders but didn't include the Oklahoma Sooners. Teams like Texas, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, and South Carolina were considered contenders. But what do the Sooners need to overcome to land in the field of 12 in 2025?
Here are five obstacles the Sooners need to overcome to make the College Football Playoff.
1. Getting the Offensive Line Right
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In 2024, the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line struggled with injuries and struggled with just about everything else throughout the season. The pass protection was inconsistent and the run game couldn't really get going until midseason.
It was a tall task replacing all five starters from the 2023 season made more difficult by the loss of several projected starters in fall camp or in the first few games of the season. A lot of young players received snaps, like Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta. Eddy Pierre-Louis earned some playing time late in the season, but they wanted to maintain his redshirt in a lost season. Though the performances of the Sooners young players were up and down, they gained valuable experience in 2024.
The one thing that went right for Oklahoma's offensive line happened in the offseason. They retained everyone from last year, added veteran offensive tackles Derek Simmons and Luke Baklenko, and brought in arguably the best offensive line recruiting class of the Bill Bedenbaugh era, headlined by Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje.
It's reasonable to have questions about the offensive line heading into the 2025 season. However, the Sooners have good depth to work with. If Bedenbaugh can get some good fortune on the health front, the Sooners will have a chance to be significantly better in 2025.
Combine that with a quarterback in John Mateer, who will process things faster and get the ball out of his hands quicker. That will help the offensive line tremendously.
The Sooners offensive line will be tested early in the season against Michigan in week two. There's no feeling it out period. Bedenbaugh has to have this group ready to go week one.
Projected Starting Offensive Line
- Jacob Sexton, Left Tackle
- Eddy Pierre-Louis, Left Guard
- Troy Everett, Center
- Febechi Nwaiwu, Right Guard
- Derek Simmons, RIght Tackle
2. Staying Healthy at Cornerback
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The Oklahoma Sooners defense took a major leap in 2024. But if there was one area of weakness for the consistently improving unit, it was at cornerback. Cornerback play hurt the Sooners throughout the season. Big plays allowed against Tennessee, Missouri, and LSU turned the complexion of those games.
Some of the issue is not having Gentry Williams healthy and available as he continued to battle a shoulder issue lingering from the 2023 season. Late in the season, the Sooners turned to Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson. They provided some really good moments, but there were moments where their inexperience revealed itself.
In 2025 spring ball, Williams looks healthy, but Bowen is in a boot. Those two are arguably your best cornerbacks. If they can get healthy and stay healthy throughout the 2025 season, the defense will have a chance to be better than what it was in 2024, even with the losses of Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman, and Ethan Downs.
3. Finding Consistent Options at Wide Receiver
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Much of the issue in the passing game in 2024 was the lack of reliable options in the passing game due to injury. Oklahoma turned over the top of their wide receiver room this offseason and by all accounts incoming transfer Javonnie Gibson is taking spring ball by storm. He'll be making a significant jump in competition from Arkansas Pine-Bluff and the FCS to the SEC. Even if what he's doing in spring ball translates to the 2025 season, he won't be able to do it alone.
The Sooners have to find a consistent, reliable option in the passing game to go along with Gibson and make life easier for Mateer. That could be Deion Burks, but he's been limited in spring ball and only played in one game after the Sooners week four loss to Tennessee.
Wide receiver Jayden Gibson suffered a setback in spring ball and may not be ready for the start of the 2025 season. So the Sooners will be looking for guys like Keontez Lewis, Isaiah Sategna, Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon, Elijah Thomas, Emmanuel Choice, or Jasiah Martin to emerge and become a consistent option on the outside opposite Gibson.
4. John Mateer needs to live up to the Hype
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Though there were a lot of things outside of Jackson Arnold's control in 2024, he struggled with the controllable as well, like protecting the football. A fumble at the goalline against Tennessee changed the complexion of that game and a fumble in the final minute against Missouri lost the Sooners that game. Ball security was an issue but so was throwing the football. Arnold seemed reluctant to throw the ball at times and didn't look confident in what he was being asked to do. Again, some of that was because he wasn't comfortable in the pocket with the pass protection inconsistencies and didn't have a true starting wide receiver available after Deion Burks went down. Still, there were times he left plays on the field with unwillingness to throw the ball.
So, the Sooners went out and got the best quarterback available in John Mateer and are hoping his dual-threat playmaking ability will be the spark that revitalizes Oklahoma's offense. He's turned a lot of heads with his ability to lead in offseason workouts and has developed a good rapport with his new wide receivers. His familiarity with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the system will give the Sooners a great shot to hit the ground running in 2025.
Mateer doesn't need to be a Heisman contender for the Sooners to be a contender, but he has to be significantly better than the play Oklahoma received at quarterback last year.
5. Managing the Schedule
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The Oklahoma Sooners 2025 schedule is considered one of the toughest, if not the toughest, schedule in the nation. A conference schedule that will be a gauntlet combined with their week two matchup against Michigan give the Sooners a slate that won't be easy to manage.
It's going to be tough sledding trying to improve from the six wins they recorded in 2024 but Oklahoma's done everything they could this offseason to correct the biggest issues on the team from a year ago.
Will that lead to enough wins to make the College Football Playoff or contend in the SEC? There's optimism, but that won't win games.
If the Sooners can get to November with one or fewer losses, they'll have a chance to make a run at the College Football Playoff, but their final four games will tell the tale of the 2025 season. In that four game stretch to close the regular season, the Sooners travel to face Tennessee and Alabama and then close the season at home with Missouri and LSU.
Though J.D. PicKell believes a nine-win Sooners team could make the playoff, 2024 provided the template. Win 10 games in the SEC and you'll make the playoff. Only win nine, and there's a good chance you're getting left out.
Missing the playoff wouldn't spell the end for Brent Venables, but he needs to have this team in contention in November and that means going at least 7-1 in their first eight games. Losing two games before November and making the playoff gets much more difficult.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 5 challenges facing the Oklahoma Sooners to make the CFP
Continue reading...
