Brent Venables reveals biggest lessons learned during Oklahoma's first SEC season

Oklahoma‘s first season in the Southeastern Conference didn’t go exactly as planned for the Sooners last year. OU finished 6-7 with only two wins against SEC competition.

It was a transition for head coach Brent Venables and his staff, who had hit their stride in 2023 with 10 wins during their final season in the Big 12. Ahead of the 2025 season, Venables opened up on what might have surprised him about the conference last year.

“In many ways, it was exactly like I thought,” Venables said at SEC Media Days in Atlanta last week. “Again, it’s a one-possession league. It’s a league that’s determined at the line of scrimmage. There’s elite players on every single team that you’re going to play at every single position. If you show up on a Saturday and you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get it handed to you.

“I know this, that if you give the ball back more than you take it away, you’re going to have a hard time winning. Just elite coaching and elite players across the board.”

Three teams in the SEC were part of the first 12-team College Football Playoff, five teams earned 10 or more wins and eight teams (half of the conference) went on to win at least nine games last season. All but two programs — Kentucky and Mississippi State — missed out on bowl qualification.

The Sooners finished just above the Wildcats, tied for third-to-last in the final conference standings with Auburn. Oklahoma beat the Tigers in their first-ever SEC victory last fall before shocking Alabama with a 24-3 win over the Crimson Tide in Norman.

“Every patch of grass is occupied when they kick off on a Saturday,” Venables continued. “… And the margin for error is really, really small. That’s what I know. But competitive depth, I think, top to bottom, is really, really good.”

Many experts predict Oklahoma to be one of the most improved teams in the country this fall. Despite having a tough schedule featuring the likes of Michigan in non-conference as well as Texas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama and LSU down the stretch in SEC play.

However, they’ll kick the season off with a tune-up game against Illinois State to kick off the season on Aug. 30. Fans will be excited to see their improved Sooners take the field for the first time since the Armed Forces Bowl in December.