Ranking Oklahoma’s Three Most Losable SEC Games of 2025

The Sooners have one of college football's toughest schedules in 2025, and three matchups on the slate seem particularly losable for OU.

Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. | Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just about everything looks different for the Sooners entering the 2025 season.

With a new quarterback, offensive coordinator, dozens of transfer portal additions and Brent Venables taking over the defensive play calling, Oklahoma is set up for different results than its disappointing 6-7 campaign in 2024 — for better or worse.

The Sooners will battle the same conference opponents — Texas, Ole Miss, LSU, Alabama, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Auburn — as they did last year. Their non-conference slate, though, is much more challenging, as they’ll host Big Ten power and 2023 national champion Michigan. Their other three non-league games against Illinois State, Temple and Kent State should be fairly easy.

With two losing campaigns in three years, Venables leads his team into a make-or-break season. And OU’s range from floor to ceiling is one of the largest in college football.

If the Sooners’ new personnel and talent gel as planned, they are capable of hitting double-digit wins and competing for a College Football Playoff spot. But with so many question marks and a daunting schedule, a five- or six-win season isn’t out of the picture.

In this three-part series, Sooners on SI will attempt to evaluate the Sooners’ most winnable, most losable and three games that could make or break the season.

Here are Oklahoma’s most losable games of 2025:

1. Texas

In OU and Texas’ first matchup as SEC opponents, the Longhorns dominated both sides of the ball, winning 34-3.

The Longhorns were one of college football’s best teams in 2024, finishing 13-3 and reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals. They’re expected to be similarly stout in 2025.

Taking over at quarterback for Texas is Arch Manning, the grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. Manning appeared in 10 games and started two last year, finishing with 939 passing yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions.

Despite being the namesake of one of football’s most famous families and the former No. 1 player in the Class of 2023, Manning is largely unproven at the college level. He could definitely exceed his lofty expectations, or he could fall below them.

The problem for OU and all of Texas’ other opponents is that the Longhorns are proven elsewhere.

The Longhorns return running back Quintrevion Wisner, who ran for 1,064 yards as a true sophomore last year. They also saw flashes of greatness from wideout Ryan Wingo, who caught 29 passes for 472 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman last year.

Defensively, Texas has a veteran core. Players like linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and defensive end Colin Simmons make up a defense that is among the most talented and experienced in the nation.

Texas also landed a loaded transfer portal, adding four highly coveted defensive linemen — Maraad Watson (Syracuse), Cole Brevard (Purdue), Travis Shaw (North Carolina) and Hero Kanu (Ohio State) — and tight end Jack Endries (California).

The good news about Oklahoma’s game against Texas is that the Sooners’ have a bye and a home game against Kent State — which hasn’t won an FBS game since 2022 — in the two weeks leading up to it. Plus, neither team gets much of an advantage with the game being held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Still, Texas is a trendy preseason pick to win the 2025 national championship after reaching the College Football Playoff two years in a row and returning so much talent from last year.

2. Alabama

The Crimson Tide will be out for blood after what happened against the Sooners in 2024.

Oklahoma shattered Alabama’s playoff chances, winning 24-3 to give the Crimson Tide their third loss. The Sooners intercepted Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe three times, paving the way for the beatdown.

This year, Alabama will go for revenge in Tuscaloosa.

Milroe now plays for the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL, so Ty Simpson is expected to start for Alabama in 2025. Simpson, a redshirt junior, played sparingly in his first three seasons, appearing in only 10 games and throwing for 310 yards.

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Much of the talent around him, though, is the same. Breakout wide receiver star Ryan Williams is back for his sophomore year, as well as wideout Germie Bernard and running back Jam Miller.

Like always, Alabama is expected to have one of the nation’s best defenses. Star defensive backs Zabien Brown and Bray Hubbard return to the Crimson Tide’s secondary, and they added to the defense with linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green and cornerback Cameron Calhoun in the portal.

There’s plenty of pressure on Alabama entering 2025.

The Crimson Tide had a “bad” season for their standards last year with a 9-4 record in Kalen DeBoer’s first year as head coach. Most programs would view that kind of season as above average, but considering Alabama’s six national championships in the 21st century, Crimson Tide fans are used to better.

Alabama’s home game against OU will be late in the season and could have playoff implications for both teams.

Bryant-Denny Stadium is one of college football’s most raucous atmospheres, and after last year’s game, Alabama fans won’t let up on Nov. 15.

3. Tennessee

Even though Tennessee’s offense is almost entirely different than it was in 2024 — when the Volunteers reached the College Football Playoff — OU’s game against the Volunteers in Knoxville won’t be easy.

Neyland Stadium is the third-largest stadium in the SEC in terms of capacity with 101,915 seats, just behind Kyle Field (Texas A&M) and Tiger Stadium (LSU). Tennessee set the record for most decibels (137) in a college football game against Georgia in the 2023 season.

Knoxville is always rocking, and it will be particularly raucous when the Vols host the Sooners on Nov. 1.

Tennessee beat Oklahoma 25-15 in the Sooners’ first-ever SEC game in Norman last year. The Sooners turned the ball over three times in the first half, leading to the demotion of Jackson Arnold in favor of Michael Hawkins Jr.

Though OU’s offense is expected to improve significantly with new quarterback John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, it will still be very challenging for OU’s offense.

Tennessee returns most of its defensive talent from 2024, with defensive lineman Jaxson Moi, defensive end Joshua Josephs and cornerback Jermod McCoy headlining the unit. Between the veteran-loaded roster and Neyland’s punishing atmosphere, Oklahoma likely won’t turn the game into a shootout.

The best chance for the Sooners to walk out of Knoxville with a win is if they turn the game into a defensive battle and consistently apply pressure to Tennessee’s new-look offense.