The 2025 preseason Coaches Poll was released on Monday, and to the surprise of many, the Oklahoma football team is not ranked. There is a chance that the Sooners crack the AP top 25 when that poll is released next week, but as of now, they are unranked. To be fair, Oklahoma did not have a good 2024 season as the team finished the year with a 6-7 record. Not good, but head coach Brent Venables brought in a good transfer portal haul this offseason, and that could go a long way.

Following the release of the Coaches Poll top 25, The Athletic came out with a list of unranked sleepers to watch during the 2025 season. The Oklahoma football team made the cut. The Sooners struggled last year, but massive additions like quarterback John Mateer, running back Jadyn Ott and new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle should go a long way.

“What an alternate universe we’re living in to consider Oklahoma a sleeper,” Christopher Kamrani wrote. “But the Sooners have been sleepy recently. While one can argue that no head coach in college football is under more pressure than Brent Venables, he did make two of the splashiest offseason moves of the year by hiring offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and signing Superman impersonator quarterback John Mateer from Washington State.”

While the addition of Mateer is massive, he still needs guys to throw to. The wide receiver position is definitely a question mark for the Sooners as the season looms.

“The Sooners had a wild string of bad luck at a historically talent-rich position at WR in 2024,” Kamrani continued. “If Mateer has a bunch of typical OU receivers to throw to — in addition to handing the ball off to Cal transfer Jaydn Ott — the Sooners should be appointment TV. On the flip side: Their 2025 schedule is brutal? Guess it boils down to how much Mateer can channel his A&M-era Manziel and keep the Sooners in 50-48-style games.”

It won't take us long to learn about this Oklahoma football team because of that difficult schedule. In Week 2, the Sooners will welcome Michigan to Norman for a clash under the lights. The Wolverines are ranked inside of the preseason Coaches Poll top 25 as they came in at No. 14. Michigan's defense is expected to be one of the best in the country, so Mateer and that offense will immediately be put the test.

The pressure is on this year for Brent Venables and the Sooners. They have the talent, but can they put it all together on the field?

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