The Oklahoma Sooners’ College Football Playoff hopes just took a massive hit. Quarterback John Mateer, who had been leading Oklahoma’s offense through a hot 4-0 start, is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his throwing hand.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the procedure was performed by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles, with an estimated recovery timeline of about a month.

That puts Mateer’s return potentially around the Ole Miss game, but it also means he will likely miss the Red River Rivalry against Texas and key matchups against South Carolina and Ole Miss.

Analyst Joel Klatt reacted strongly to the news in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, calling Mateer the heart of Oklahoma’s early-season success.

“I’m totally bummed for this guy because he was playing as well as anybody in the country, that’s a fact. They don’t beat Michigan without Mateer. They don’t beat Auburn without John Mateer. He was Oklahoma. Their defense has been sensational, but their offense has been terrific,” Klatt said.

The Sooners’ schedule does them no favors during Mateer’s absence. After a bye week and a tune-up against Kent State, Oklahoma faces its biggest test of the year against Texas.

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Sophomore Michael Hawkins is expected to take over under center. Hawkins has some experience, starting four games last season and even beating Auburn once, but his inconsistency left Oklahoma scrambling for answers and led to the addition of Mateer via the transfer portal. Now, Venables must trust that Hawkins has matured enough to keep the offense afloat.

The margin for error is razor-thin. Oklahoma doesn’t need to win the SEC outright to qualify for the 12-team playoff, but it does need to stay competitive and stack enough marquee wins to remain in contention.

Dropping multiple games while Mateer recovers could derail what had looked like a breakthrough season for Brent Venables’ squad.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze added fuel to the fire with his postgame comments after losing to the Sooners. Freeze said he believes Texas A&M, Auburn’s next opponent, is “more complete” than Oklahoma.

While the statement might have been intended to build up the Aggies, it also came across as a slight toward the Sooners. Complicating matters further, the SEC ruled that a controversial touchdown against Auburn should have been negated for “deceptive alignment,” though the result stood.

Oklahoma has the week off, then faces Kent State before the showdown with Texas. Whether Mateer returns in time to rescue the Sooners’ playoff bid or Hawkins proves capable in the interim could define their season.