What Are the Most Disappointing Seasons of Oklahoma Football?

2026's story isn't over yet, but the signs look like it could be in the same sentence as some other disappointing Oklahoma seasons.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables yells during the Sooners' game against Georgia. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

If this continues, 2026 will be one of the more disappointing seasons in Oklahoma football history.

Now, the Sooners have every opportunity to course correct. As awful as the offense has looked at times, college football teams suddenly making a positive turn wouldn't be the most novel thing.

The likelihood of that happening appears slim given the evidence over the past three weeks. Should OU not find any positive remedy to their year, it could be one of the few seasons Sooner fans will never want to remember.

What were those seasons?

A caveat: Just because past OU seasons have not ended with a banner doesn't constitute as "disappointing." Oklahoma has a titanic standard, but reality still creeps up from time to time.

Because of that, you won't find years where the Sooners were victims to graduation/a mass of players leaving. Attrition affects every program, but especially before the transfer portal era.

2009

Injuries truly affected this season before it started. That may be an extra caveat, but due to OU's national title expectations entering the 2009 season, even with the injury excuse, 2009 couldn't escape a disappointing outcome.

Star tight end Jermaine Gresham was lost to a torn ACL in Fall Camp. Returning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford separated his shoulder before halftime of the Sooners' season opener.

Bradford returned a few weeks later to lead OU over Baylor in Norman, but would see his season end in the first quarter of the following week's game in the Cotton Bowl.

The Sooners had a championship-level defense — they forced three shutouts and only allowed 10 or less points in three others. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown came back to form a dynamic duo in the backfield.

While OU regrouped behind Landry Jones and salvaged a good end to their season, the 8-5 record served as a reality check to the championship expectations of the offseason.

1976

Oklahoma had gone 43-2-1 since 1971. Under Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer (1973), the Sooners won two Sugar Bowls, three Big Eight championships and two national championships.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Barry Switzer leads his team on the field against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Entering 1976, the Sooners had lost a handful of powerful names that helped them win those back-to-back titles, but they weren't hurting for talent or expectations with their top-five preseason ranking.

The signs of not meeting expectations came in the Cotton Bowl when OU tied Texas after besting the Longhorns for five straight years.

A few weeks later, Oklahoma State came into Norman and upset the Sooners — their first victory over OU in 10 seasons. Switzer's sqaud followed that up by losing to Colorado in Boulder.

Colorado, OSU and OU finished tied for the Big Eight championship with the Sooners finishing their season with a victory over Wyoming in the Fiesta Bowl.

2022

Could Brent Venables have two seasons on this list by Christmas?

While the program was dealing with adapting to a new head coach in Venables and reacting to the transfer of eventual Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, expecations were still high for Oklahoma entering 2022.

OU still had talent and Venables' defensive genius was expected to build a better product quickly on his preferred side of the ball. The schedule, in the offseason, appeared more than favorable.

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) lays injured on the field during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports

Then the Sooners dropped their opening conference game to Kansas State in Norman. They followed that up with a 55-24 defeat at the hands of the eventual national runners-up in TCU. In the Cotton Bowl, Oklahoma discovered a defeat no other Sooner team had experienced to Texas when they lost 49-0.

The pain wasn't over. Oklahoma lost winnable games against average to downright bad teams in Baylor, West Virginia and Texas Tech before ending their season with another loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

1995

Realistically, the expectations shouldn't have been too high in the first year under Howard Schnellenberger. But that didn't stop the new head coach from showing bravado.

"Books will be written and movies will be made," Schnellenberger declared when he was hired.

He was right, books have been written — but not about his lone season in Norman.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Howard Schnellenberger during the 1995 season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

OU started off 3-0 and earned a primetime slot on ESPN to host Colorado. Oklahoma was run off the field 38-17.

They tied Texas in a game where the Sooners missed multiple field goals, including a would-be game-winner. Kansas destroyed the Sooners in Norman before OU lost their final three games of the year to finish 5-5-1.

No books were written about Schnellenbeger's time at Oklahoma.

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