How Can Oklahoma Bring the SEC Back to the National Championship Game?

The Sooners are one of five SEC schools that made it to the College Football Playoff in 2025 but fell short of their title dreams.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables argues with an official in the CFP against Alabama. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

For the third year in a row, a conference that claims “it means more” won’t be represented in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Ole Miss — the SEC’s last team standing — lost 31-27 to Miami in the CFP semifinals on Thursday. The Rebels’ elimination followed fellow SEC members Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama, which lost earlier in the playoff.

The SEC has claimed 14 football national championships in the 21st century and reached the national title game for eight years in a row before the drought began in 2023.

This begs two questions: Why has this changed? And how can it change?

A more level playing field

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks out on the field from the sideline Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, during the Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Oregon Ducks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Florida all have won multiple national titles in the 21st century. Clemson and Ohio State are the only non-SEC programs that have won multiple championships since 2000.

More recently, though, there has been more parity.

With Indiana and Miami the only two teams remaining, college football will have a fourth different national champion in as many years.

It goes without saying that college football has gone through an overhaul in the last several years. Student-athletes are now being paid, thanks to name-image-likeness and revenue sharing.

This has, seemingly, leveled the playing field. 

Indiana, after logging zero winning seasons from 2008 to 2018, is 26-2 since hiring Curt Cignetti. The once-dormant Miami program is now one win away from its first national title since 2001. Other schools like Ole Miss, Penn State and Arizona State — which never qualified for the four-team CFP — have each made it to the 12-team field since its installment in 2024 and showed that they belonged in their appearances.

Schools that were once an afterthought in the college football world are now contenders. And because the SEC was so dominant for more than two decades, of course many of these new contenders will hail from different conferences.

A look at the SEC’s 2025

Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis collides with Alabama's Ty Simpson in the CFP. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

There’s no sugarcoating it — the 2025 postseason was very, very bad for the SEC.

Ole Miss’ loss moved the SEC to a final record of 4-10 in postseason play. 

Two of the conference’s wins came in SEC vs. SEC games in the College Football Playoff (Alabama over Oklahoma; Ole Miss over Georgia). The other two were Texas over a coach-less Michigan squad in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and Ole Miss over an outmatched Tulane squad in the CFP First Round.

The SEC tied for the worst conference winning percentage (.286) with the Mountain West, which saw its members go 2-5 in bowl games.

The silver linings

Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke tries to tackle Ole Miss' Kewan Lacy. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Ole Miss made it the furthest, and the Rebels have nothing to hang their heads on.

Without Lane Kiffin, the Rebels thumped Tulane before avenging a regular-season loss to Georgia in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Ole Miss led until there were just 18 seconds left, when Miami quarterback Carson Beck rushed for the game-winning touchdown.

The Rebels were very good in 2025, and that got them seconds away from a title-game berth.

Alabama, which knocked OU out, lost 38-3 to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. That drubbing seems at least somewhat less embarrassing after seeing the Hoosiers dismantle Oregon 56-22 in the semifinals.

Oklahoma and Texas A&M were both first-round exits. The Sooners fell to a squad that they defeated in the regular season — and it’s difficult to defeat a team with as much talent as Alabama twice in the same season. 

A&M scored just three points against Miami in its underwhelming CFP debut. But the Hurricanes’ wins against Ohio State and Ole Miss, the Aggies holding them to only 10 points seems fairly impressive.

All five SEC representatives came into the CFP with title dreams, and they didn’t live up to those. But there’s a path for each of them to be back sooner rather than later.

What’s the title blueprint?

Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Aiden Fisher (4) raises the trophy with quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13), and Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Daniel Ndukwe (17) after the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Oregon Ducks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Indiana and Miami are very different teams.

The Hoosiers, once a laughingstock program, are one of the most complete teams in recent memory, led by Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Hurricanes are one of college football’s hottest teams and also one of the most talented squads with 45 former 4- and 5-star prospects (per ESPN) on their roster.

While different, the teams that will compete for the title on Jan. 19 are among college football’s best teams at getting to the quarterback.

Miami is the nation’s leader in sacks with 45. Indiana isn’t far behind with 42.

Only six Power Four squads finished with 40 or more sacks in 2025 — and five of them reached the College Football Playoff.

Oklahoma finished as the nation’s leader in sacks per game (3.5). Texas A&M logged 43 sacks, while Texas Tech ended the year with 41. Texas was the lone Power Four squad with more than 40 sacks (41) to not reach the CFP, and the Longhorns went 10-3 with wins over OU and A&M.

Pass rush is clearly an important component in making a run at the championship — but it can’t be the only thing.

Indiana and Miami are both well-coached, disciplined teams that are strong in all three phases.

The good news for the Sooners — and several other SEC contenders — is that they aren’t too far off.

Brent Venables had his best year as a head coach in 2025 and led OU to its first CFP since 2019. John Mateer certainly showed flashes of his talent and leadership despite some definite low points. And Oklahoma’s defense was consistently disruptive and should be again in 2026, despite losing players like R Mason Thomas, Gracen Halton and Robert Spears-Jennings.

In the SEC, talent runs deep. So does money. Plus, the league attracts top coaching talent whenever there are job openings.

Is this a low point for the conference? Certainly.

But Oklahoma and other SEC members have foundations built to get the league back to where it belongs — the National Championship Game.