Based on Recent Results, Handling Success is Oklahoma's One Big Thing vs. Missouri

Brent Venables has talked many, many times over the past four years about the importance of handling success.

An inability to do so in 2023 cost Oklahoma a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, and likely a trip to the College Football Playoff.

The No. 8-ranked Sooners find themselves in very much the same situation this week as No. 23 Missouri comes to Norman. In Venables’ fourth season, OU is in a win-and-in scenario: if they beat Missouri this week and LSU next week, they’ll wrap the regular season with a 10-2 record and will land an at-large bid to the 12-team CFP field come December, and the Sooners will be back in the hunt for the program’s eighth national championship.

If the Sooners do what they did two years ago after beating Texas and stumble against inferior opponents (they lost close games at Kansas and at Oklahoma State), Venables will be headed back to the Random Company Consolation Bowl, where he already has an 0-3 record.

Yeah. That’s how big these next two weeks are for Venables and Sooner football.

After landmark victories at Tennessee and Alabama — back-to-back victories that were hailed as the biggest games of Venables’ career so far — the Sooners are the flavor of the week in college football.

OU was literally named national team of the week coming home from Tuscaloosa. Three players were recognized by the SEC as conference players of the week. Three more players got hardware for being the best in the nation at their positions last week. And three others advanced as semifinalists for national awards.

Now?

Now, Missouri couldn’t care less. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? The Tigers probably come to Norman hoping OU gets a few more accolades before Saturday morning, a few more mentions on ESPN from the CFP selection committee, a few more pats on the back from Herbstreit and Finebaum and Klatt and the whole bunch.

Handling success is the foundation of a winning streak. Oklahoma — the program that defined winning streaks with Bud Wilkinson's 47 straight — hasn't enjoyed many of those lately.

In 2022, OU won its first three games, then lost three in a row and only manage back-to-back wins one other time. They were close in 2023, when after a 7-0 start came back-to-back losses, followed by three wins in a row and a bowl loss. The 2024 team devoured its first three cupcakes, then never enjoyed consecutive wins again the rest of the season but did taste another three-game losing streak.

Sept. 24, 2022

“Obviously, we did a poor job of getting our guys ready to play. Obviously, we didn't handle success very well.”
— Following a home loss to Kansas State after a 3-0 start

Oct. 8, 2022

“If you’re really successful, then you’re fighting complacency and noise that goes with it. … When you’re dealing with young people, they start taking two hands off the wheel. Handling success can be even more difficult. Both are important and we need to handle both of them.”
— After losing to Texas

Nov. 5, 2022

“Sometimes, the more successful you are, the easier it is for you to lose sight of all the little things it took for you to build a foundation of success.”
— After losing at home to Baylor

Nov. 8, 2022

“I think well-managed failure is what it’s all about. Well-managed success is a big thing. What happens through all kinds of success? Everybody starts to get complacent. One hand on the wheel. It’s all about ‘me’ and people start to lose their edge. They lack the ability to grow and improve.”
— Before playing at West Virginia

Nov. 15, 2022

“I’m not naive. I’ve been on teams where guys did get bored and we lost our edge, lost our focus.”
— After losing at West Virginia

July 18, 2024

“Big win against Texas — and I don't know what we were ranked, somewhere probably in the top 10 — and I didn't feel like we handled success very well. In any way. Starting with me.”
— At 2024 SEC Media Days

Sept. 9, 2025

“Not an easy thing to do, because I think human nature is, people enjoy somebody saying nice things about ‘em. Doesn’t help us win. Doesn’t help us in our process and how we gotta start completely over, learn new DNA and do the things that winning requires and success requires, and that’s go right back to work and focus on what’s in front of us.”
— Before playing Temple with a 2-0 record

Oct. 8, 2025

“Getting your players to win the battle of the mind each and every week and have respect for the process and what it takes to play at a winning level week in and week out through the course of a season; the challenges, the ups and the downs and all the noise that's out there —that's always a challenge. … Success can be one of the worst things that happen to you, in how you handle that and not losing sight of the little things that winning requires.”
— Before playing Texas with a 5-0 record

Oct. 19, 2025

“I guard against it every single day, and I have since I’ve been a coach. I guard against success and how people are gonna respond to doing well.”
— After winning at South Carolina

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