Here are 10 Storylines Oklahoma Fans Must Watch For in 2025

At long last, game week is here. For Oklahoma fans, the college football season has finally arrived.

Seven days from now, Sooner Nation will have watched their team play an actual game, pulling back the curtain on the potential this squad might have in 2025.

Of course, Saturday night won’t reveal how good this team can be. It’s just one game of 12. And it’s just Illinois State. OU fans are savvy enough to realize that beating the Redbirds by 50 has nothing whatsoever to do with what happens in the Cotton Bowl in six weeks. (Although beating them by 6 might offer some insight — and plenty of angst — about how bad things could get this fall.)

Can this be the year OU finally breaks out under Brent Venables? Can this be the year the Sooners return to the College Football Playoff? Better yet, can this be the year Oklahoma breaks a 24-year drought and finally brings home the program’s eighth national championship?

With the preseason officially over and game week here, here are 10 storylines OU fans will want to watch in 2025:

1. No Natty

Sorry, Sooner Nation. The streak without a national title — the longest in school history since Bud Wilkinson’s first in 1950 — will continue. OU faces one of college football’s most demanding schedules this fall, and Venables’ 5-9 record in one-possession games doesn’t bode well.

2. Playoff Push

That doesn’t mean the season will be a failure. This Oklahoma team, with a rebuilt offense running high-octane tempo and a defense ferocious enough to set the standard for the rest of the SEC, will be fun to watch. Expect enough of those one-possession games to turn in OU’s favor and the Sooners to have a good shot at a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff heading into November.

Oklahoma Sooners John Mateer — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

3. Mateer Mania

With quarterback John Mateer as the trigger man for Oklahoma’s revamped offense, the Sooners won’t be out of any games this year. Mateer’s dynamic dual-threat skills as a passer and a runner will stress defenses, and his leadership style will elevate his teammates. If he stays healthy and the OU receivers and offensive line do their part, expect a big season from Mateer. Heisman? Don’t bet on it. But don’t rule it out just yet.

4. BV on D

Venables landed arguably the best defensive coordinator in college football over the last 25 years — himself. After Zac Alley’s shocking departure for West Virginia, Venables takes the reins for the defense — giving enemy quarterbacks another layer of anxiety. Will Venables’ talents as a head coach be diminished or watered down? Maybe, but for a coach who has struggled to manage games from time to time, the opposite could happen, too. Maybe his new duties this season give him more clarity and focus.

5. Arbuckle Up

While Venables handles the defense, he has delegated the offense to a guy that reminds a lot of people of Lincoln Riley — in more ways than one. Ben Arbuckle also hails from West Texas, talks a little like Riley and, some say, has even an offense similar to Riley’s: based on Mike Leach’s air raid principles but armed with a power running game and plenty of deep throws. With two different starting quarterbacks, Washington State was among the NCAA leaders in numerous offensive categories in both 2023 and 2024, so Arbuckle brings OU a legit upgrade at offensive coordinator.

Oklahoma Sooners P.J. Adebawore — Oklahoma defensive end P.J. Adebawore | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

6. Sack Race

Venables’ defensive scheme alone causes consternation and worry for opposing quarterbacks. Now throw in R Mason Thomas coming at you off one side and former 5-star edge rushers Marvin Jones Jr. and P.J. Adebawore from the other side, backed by “pound for pound the best athlete on the team” Danny Okoye finding his way into the backfield, the Sooners can win games this year with their pass rush.

7. The Schedule is … Hard?

Yes, the Sooners’ schedule is hard. Isn’t it? Michigan did beat national champ Ohio State last year, but the Wolverines went just 8-5 in former Sooner o-lineman Sherrone Moore’s first season as a head coach — a year after winning their own national title. Auburn looks like a train wreck waiting to happen. Texas is loaded, but has a first-year starting QB. South Carolina lost a ton on defense. Ole Miss and Tennessee both have first-time starters at QB. So do Alabama and Missouri. LSU looks daunting too, but frequently underachieves. The Sooners will absolutely need to be on point, but this schedule might not look so hard in November.

8. Wilson!

No way to sugarcoat it: Oklahoma’s offensive line was bad in 2024 — maybe the worst the program has had in decades. While virtually the entire group returns, they’ll be better this year for a variety of reasons: Arbuckle for one. Mateer for another. Jaydn Ott for another. But expect real, fundamental improvement thanks to the addition of one-time Sooner offensive whiz Kevin Wilson to the staff as an offensive analyst. Wilson (now with eight essential head coaching seasons!) is the kind of offensive genius who makes any staff better, but he’s also the kind of offensive line coach who makes Bill Bedenbaugh better. Wilson’s contributions to 2025 could be huge for a young OC and an offensive line trying to prove last year was an injury-riddled fluke.

Oklahoma Sooners Eli Bowen — Oklahoma cornerback Eli Bowen (23) | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

9. Corner Office

Other than the addition of Mateer and the improvement of the offensive line, the single most important position for this football team is cornerback. Having all those great pass rushers coming off the edge will be big for the Sooners. But it will be game-changing if the OU corners can hold up. Gentry Williams has a trick shoulder. Eli Bowen has been out since spring with a lower leg injury. And Kendel Dolby is coming back from a gruesome ankle/foot fracture and dislocation. When healthy, the Sooners have three top-shelf SEC corners. When they’re not, Venables and CBs coach Jay Valai will have to rely on Jacobe Johnson and youngsters like Devon Jordan, Jeremiah Newcombe, Maliek Hawkins and Marcus Wimberly.

10. Does Venables Survive?

Oklahoma fans just want a national title. Athletic director Joe Castiglione just wants to see improvement. But when December arrives and the OU regular season is under review, neither of them will be making the decision about whether Venables gets a fifth season. The expectation is that OU will have a new AD by then, and that AD — as well as the man that hires him, football chairman Randall Stephenson — will decide whether to bring back Venables or buy out his contract. So what saves BV’s job? Definitely not another 6-6 season. Would 7-5 be enough? Surely 8-4 would, especially if the Sooners beat Texas or score another win over Alabama. Not only would 9-3 save his job, but it could put OU in the playoff. And 10-2 would probably get Venables another contract extension. This team would seem to have the potential to finish anywhere between 5-7 and 10-2.

Should be an interesting season in Norman.