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By Jordan Sigler
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Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables entered the season on the hot seat after finishing 6-7 in 2024. The Sooners went just 2-6 in their first season in the SEC.
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Oklahoma began the campaign with an impressive 5-0 start with victories over then-No. 15 Michigan on Sept. 6 and then-No. 22 Auburn on Sept. 20.
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However, the Sooners have lost two of their last three games. OU was dominated 23-6 by an underperforming Texas team in the "Red River Rivalry" on Oct. 11. Oklahoma rebounded with a dominant win over South Carolina but was beaten 34-26 at home by then-No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday.
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The Sooners are 6-2 and ranked No. 18 before taking on No. 14 Tennessee on the road in Week 10.
Seth Emerson of The Athletic had a warning for Venables ahead of his matchup against the Volunteers. He suggested that Venables could be trending toward the hot seat in November if he cannot pull off wins against ranked SEC opponents to end the season.
"Oklahoma’s Brent Venables entered the season on the hot seat, and that’s quieted after a 6-2 start," Emerson wrote. "But with three more ranked opponents remaining, plus LSU, Venables isn’t completely safe yet."
The schedule is daunting for the fourth-year head coach. Following Saturday's contest against Tennessee, Oklahoma will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 4 Alabama after a bye in Week 11.
The Sooners will then host No. 19 Missouri on November 22 and conclude the regular season against LSU on November 29.
Venables is 28-19 overall and 14-16 in conference play, but just 4-8 in the SEC.
It'll be interesting to see if Oklahoma would consider making a coaching change if Venables goes 2-2 or worse to end the season. It's not a great year for Oklahoma to need a new coach with Penn State, LSU, Florida and Arkansas already posting job openings.
However, Oklahoma expects to compete in the SEC and for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The month of November will be a litmus test for how close the Sooners are to being a legit contender with Venables.
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