Josh Pate casts doubts over Brent Venables' Oklahoma Sooners due to strength of schedule for 2025 

Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners just went through their second losing season in the last three years. According to college football insider Josh Pate, things could get worse before they get better.

The Sooners won only two SEC games in 2024. They also lost the Armed Forces Bowl to Navy, warming Venables' seat. And heading into the 2025 season, the CBS Sports analyst is concerned with what could happen to Brent Venables and the Sooners.

“This time last year, we knew Florida’s got the toughest schedule in the SEC. It may be Oklahoma this year that has the toughest schedule in the SEC," Pate said on his 'College Football Show' podcast. "And yet, it’s Oklahoma. It’s the SEC. You knew what you were signing up for.

“Oklahoma is supposed to be part of what makes the SEC tough. Oklahoma is not supposed to be victimized by the SEC, that’s not good enough,” he added.

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The Sooner’s schedule should be among the most difficult in the country with conference trips to CFP contenders South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee; home games against Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU and the annual “Red River Shootout”. Furthermore, they play Michigan in a non-conference matchup.

Brent Venables made some changes in his staff trying to revive an offense that was near the bottom of the FBS last season. Ben Arbuckle will be the new offensive coordinator, replacing Seth Littrell.

Oklahoma finished 126th in total offense and 110th in points scored. That led to massive changes on that side of the ball.

Arbuckle will be joined by former Washington State quarterback John Mateer. They will both be expected to figure out the offense early, as the schedule should be a challenge once the conference games start.

The Sooners were also in the mix for Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, but he signed with Penn State last Saturday.

Brent Venables' Oklahoma lands 4-star WR for 2026

It’s never too early to recruit for the future, and Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners have already bolstered their 2026 recruiting class by landing the commitment of four-star wide receiver Daniel Odom, as per On3 Sports.

Odom is a 6-foot-2, 193-pound receiver from Bellflower, California. He committed to the Sooners after visiting Norman over the weekend. He was ranked the No. 41 wide receiver of the class by 247 Sports.

The receiver will be joining four-star quarterback Jaden O’Neal in the class of ’26 in what is still very early recruiting.

After a dismal 2024 season offensively, the Sooners need to retool quickly for the coming years if they pretend to contend in the deep SEC.

How do you think the Oklahoma Sooners will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.