Ever since Lincoln Riley stunned the college football world by leaving Oklahoma for USC in November 2021, the two fan bases have gone back and forth about which side would “win” the ugly Riley/Oklahoma breakup. Four years later, perhaps the answer is . . . neither?
On Saturday, the Sooners suffered a brutal 34-26 loss to Ole Miss, putting the program on track to miss the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in four years since Riley’s departure. So how did they get here? Let’s take a look.
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Brent Venables
To replace Riley, Oklahoma hired longtime Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. After years of high-scoring offenses but struggling defenses under Riley, Sooners fans were convinced that Venables could inject an increased level of physicality and toughness into their program.
The results
Through three years, results for Venables in Norman, Oklahoma were not great. The Sooners won ten games in 2023, but suffered losing seasons in both 2022 and 2024.
Saturday’s setback
On Saturday, Venables and Oklahoma suffered another setback, falling 34-6 to Ole Miss at home. With the defeat, the Sooners fell to 2-2 SEC play.
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The upcoming schedule
Oklahoma’s remaining schedule is absolutely brutal. The Sooners still have to go to Tennessee and Alabama, as well as host Missouri and LSU. Given the gauntlet that Oklahoma still has to face, 9-3 feels like the absolute best possible scenario, with 8-4 or 7-5 much more likely.
The future for Venables
Unless the Sooners are able to massively turn things around against an extremely difficult schedule, it will be a third massively disappointing season in four years under Venables. It does not at all seem like a stretch to say that the job status of Lincoln Riley’s successor in Norman is in jeopardy. At the very least, Venables should enter the 2026 season squarely on the hot seat—much like his counterpart in Los Angeles.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Brent Venables struggles at Oklahoma, alongside Lincoln Riley at USC
