Josh Pate Names Major College Football Program That's 'Properly Rated'

Finishing near the top without a national championship victory is a tiresome repetition for college football fans.

Before its win in 2022, Georgia continually produced strong results on the field but failed to achieve the ultimate goal for more than four decades. Oregon lost in a pair of national championships in the early 2010s and has yet to reach another despite fielding a pair of College Football Playoff participants the last two seasons.

Oklahoma is accustomed to finishing near the top without hardware in the past 25 seasons. The Sooners have reached the College Football Playoff five times but have no wins to show for it. Oklahoma's 10-3 finish in 2025 is its best since joining the SEC, but a home loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff tainted the memory of an otherwise great season.

The College Football Playoff hype for the Sooners is not deafening in 2026, but they are still receiving some attention as a contender. Josh Pate discussed Oklahoma's College Football Playoff chances on a recent edition of On3's "Crain and Cone."

"I think they're properly rated. They're kind of in the neighborhood of Michigan, Texas Tech (and) Alabama, like those kinds of teams, I think that's proper," Pate said. "I think their question marks may be a little bigger, and they're one of those teams that couldn't run the ball last year."

The Sooners were one of only two SEC teams whose leading rusher finished the season with under 500 rushing yards.

Among the reasons for the Sooners' anemic rushing output were porous offensive line play and the lingering injuries to what were supposed to be commodities in Jovantae Barnes and Jaydn Ott.

Oklahoma is one of only six SEC teams that return a starting quarterback from 2025. The Sooners bring back Isaiah Sategna III, who is the most productive wide receiver from 2025 returning to the SEC in 2026, but Mateer's three top targets after Sategna III have all departed.

One constant of Oklahoma since joining the SEC is its ability to stifle opposing offenses, something that had long been absent from the program. The Sooners lost four of their 2025 starters to the NFL draft, but the defense is still rich with NFL talent heading into the 2026 season.

Potential hurdles for Oklahoma in 2026

Scenes from the 2025 game between Ole Miss and Oklahoma. — Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Courtland Guillory (4), defensive lineman Damonic Williams (52) and linebacker Kip Lewis (10) bring down Ole Miss Rebels running back Kewan Lacy (5) | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A return trip to Michigan awaits Oklahoma in the second week of the 2026 season. The Wolverines look to re-establish themselves as College Football Playoff contenders under Kyle Whittingham's leadership and expect sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood to take a step forward with a new offensive staff.

The Sooners kick off SEC play at Georgia to end September and face Texas in the Red River Shootout after a bye week. Respectively, Gunner Stockton and Arch Manning return as starting quarterbacks for the Bulldogs and Longhorns.

Georgia's roster is loaded with returning production from a season ago, while Texas utilized the NCAA transfer portal to upgrade in spots where it was weak in 2025.

A pair of challenging home games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M await the Sooners in November. The Rebels return Trinidad Chambliss at quarterback, one of the few signal-callers who cracked the code on Oklahoma's defense in 2026.

Marcel Reed enters another season as Texas A&M's starting quarterback and poses a unique challenge with his dual-threat capabilities.

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