The Oklahoma Sooners enter the 2026 season hoping to finally break through and end a nearly three-decade national championship drought. The Sooners last won a title in 2000, but have made several national championship game appearances since then.
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables was part of that 2000 national championship team as one of the defensive coordinators. Now, Venables enters this season with the most talented roster of his tenure. Venables has built one of the best defenses in college football, returning several key pieces, including linebackers Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke; defensive linemen Taylor Wein, David Stone, and Jayden Jackson; and defensive backs Peyton and Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory.
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On offense, Oklahoma brings back quarterback John Mateer, who showed when healthy that he’s one of the best at his position in college football. The Sooners also return their top two running backs, top wide receiver, and four of their five starting offensive linemen. That combination of returning talent has On3’s Andy Staples extremely high on Oklahoma entering the season.
Oklahoma has all the pieces needed to make a legitimate national championship run in 2026. The defense has the talent and experience to remain among the best in the country, while the offense has the opportunity to take a major step forward with Mateer returning healthy.
The Sooners still face one of the toughest schedules in college football, but if they can overcome that challenge, this could be the season Venables brings Oklahoma back to the top of the sport and ends the program’s long wait for another championship.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: College football analyst believes Oklahoma could be ‘freaking good’
