Oklahoma's Second Year in the SEC Brought Two National Titles and Many Fond Memories

Oklahoma made its mark in its second season in the Southeastern Conference.

Brent Venables proved that his program could compete in some of the conference’s biggest atmospheres while the athletic department celebrated a pair of national titles.

On the anniversary of OU’s official entrance into the league, here’s a look back at all the Sooners accomplished over the past year.

Red November

Oklahoma Sooners, Xavier Robinson — Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson powers through a tackle in the Sooners' win over Alabama. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Venables needed a big bounce-back in 2025 and he delivered.

The Sooners’ Week 2 victory over Michigan set the table for a fantastic season.

OU dropped contests to Texas and Ole Miss after quarterback John Mateer injured his thumb, but the group rallied and proved it was “Hard to Kill.”

Oklahoma walked into Neyland Stadium and knocked off Tennessee 33-27, then two weeks later, Venables’ team knocked off Alabama 23-21 in Tuscaloosa.

November closed with victories over Missouri and LSU to punch OU’s ticket back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.

The Sooners raced out to a 17-0 lead in a rematch with the Crimson Tide in the CFP, and while the visitors roared back to end Oklahoma’s season, expectations are high for what the team can accomplish in 2026 based on the showing last season.

April Showers Bring More Titles

Oklahoma Sooners, K.J. Kindler — Oklahoma gymnast Audrey Davis hugs head coach K.J. Kindler after Davis performs on beam during the NCAA Women's National Gymnastics Tournament Championship at Dickies Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Jennie Baranczyk led her team to a second-straight Sweet 16 appearance, though OU ran into top-seeded South Carolina to end the year.

March Madness made way for more success in April, however.

Audra Cohen’s women’s tennis program notched six wins over top 10 opponents in the regular season, including a 4-2 win over Texas, to finish 13-2 in SEC play and win a share of the SEC title.

Then K.J. Kindler’s team won the biggest prize.

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Kindler led OU women’s gymnastics to the program’s eighth national title.

Oklahoma outperformed LSU, Florida and Minnesota to win a fourth title in the last five years.

Magical Finish

Oklahoma Sooners, LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma pitcher LJ Mercurius celebrates after winning the national championship. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

New athletic director Roger Denny ended the year watching the Sooners capture a second national title thanks to Skip Johnson’s baseball program.

After a rough close to the regular season and an early exit from the SEC Tournament, OU caught fire.

Elimination games in Atlanta served as the spark, then Oklahoma dumped No. 2 seed Georgia Tech out of the NCAA Tournament.

The next victim was Kansas before the Sooners dominated the SEC half of the College World Series, dispatching Alabama and Georgia twice to advance to the Championship Series.

OU then won Games 1 and 3 against North Carolina to notch the program’s third national title.

A bit east of Kimrey Family Stadium, Patty Gasso also added another piece of hardware to her already crowded trophy cabinet.

The Sooners won the SEC regular season title for the second-straight season, though Oklahoma failed to reach the Women’s College World Series for the first time in a decade.

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