This Oklahoma Team of Mantras Goes Into The CFP With Yet Another Chip on Its Shoulder

Team 131. Hard to Kill. Road Dogs. Curtis Jackson's least favorite song on his album Get Rich or Die Trying. Grimy.

Brent Venables isn't short of rallying cries or superlatives to focus his team.

The 2025 edition of the Sooner football program faces the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 19 in Norman — a little over a month after having beaten the Tide 23-21 in Tuscaloosa. This also marks the two schools' third matchup in, if you’ve lost count, 391 days.

Big picture: Venables has successfully navigated a season that he entered firmly on the hot seat. Two 6-7 seasons in three years, plus the shame of Oklahoma's inaugural season in the SEC being a complete dud, are in the rear-view mirror.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooner — Oklahoma players lift head coach Brent Venables on their shoulders following the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooner and the University of Michigan Wolverines | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The task at hand: Alabama will still be a challenge, especially in the rematch. And while Venables has earned praise for a 10-2 campaign that led to a College Football Playoff berth, the fourth-year head coach understands that at a place like Oklahoma, there's always a narrative following the program's leader.

"Well, every game we’ve played all year is the biggest game of my career, and surely we can’t beat the next team," Venables said during his College Football Playoff press conference. "And so, yeah, it’s been there. It’s been there all year."

Venables is right — Michigan in September was the biggest game of his career. If you're going to have a successful season with the conference schedule dealt to Oklahoma, Venables' Sooners had to defend home field against the Wolverines, and they did.

Auburn? Well, you can't let Jackson Arnold leave just to return and beat you. That didn't happen.

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Texas and Ole Miss were the failures. Each was the better team and played like it on those Saturdays.

Then Red November happened. Knoxville, Tuscaloosa and two home games were the settings for this team's coming-out party. Lose one of these games and you're playing a in a bowl game instead of a playoff game. This is when "Hard to Kill" was born — where this team truly showed that it's fully aware of the noise surrounding the program and uses it to its advantage.

"That has been the narrative, and hasn’t been a lot of people that believed we were able to do what we’ve done," Venables said. "Whether that’s justifiable or not, who knows? It doesn’t really matter."

Oklahoma's last game against Alabama also serves as a good example as to how this team harnesses external factors to their benefit.

Devon Jordan, Oklahoma Sooners — Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Devon Jordan (12) puts pressure on Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

During the week leading up to their Nov. 15 matchup, OU players took exception that their game at Alabama was to serve as the Tide's homecoming game. It motivated them so much that following the game-clinching pass-breakup by Peyton Bowen, he knelt before Robert Spears-Jennings, who then "crowned" him the homecoming king.

"Again, the same thing," Venables said. "We’ll go into this with very slim odds, whatever that means. We’re just thankful to have the opportunity that’s sitting in front of us. I know our guys are looking forward to the challenge."

Now, Oklahoma not only has two weeks to prepare for another showdown with Alabama, but also a chance to recall the last month of chatter — much of it downplaying the Sooners’ November win over the Tide.

Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma Sooners — Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) runs the ball and tires to evade Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Peyton Bowen | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

The Sooners benefitted from turnovers and were outgained by 200 yards in a two-point win. That is a true sentence. But it implies that Oklahoma was luckier to claim victory over Alabama than simply being the better team on that day.

Whatever the case, it's apparent that this team finds chips to place on their collective shoulder. Dec. 19's game with Alabama will be no different.

"Again, going against one of the best teams in college football — in the history of the game — and two iconic programs matching up here in Norman, Oklahoma. What a treat that’s going to be.

“But, at the same time, not a lot of people think that we’ll last very long in the playoffs," Venables added. "Is that fair to say that that’s been the chatter, that we don’t have a good enough overall team to be able to make much noise?"

Why is Venables asking the question? He wants the college football world to give the answer he assumes they'll give — only to serve as motivation for his squad.