Joel Klatt not overlooking Oklahoma, ranks Sooners in Way-Too-Early Top-25

Oklahoma did not have a successful first season in the SEC as their record regressed back to where it was two years prior during their debut season under Brent Venables. The Sooners have made significant changes for this fall, though, to just make it into the latest Top-25 for Joel Klatt.

Klatt released his Post-Spring Top-25 during the episode of his show on Monday. OU was the first time in at No. 25 as he had them in there despite the doubt some may have in them after last season with six losses in their final eight capped with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl.

“At 25, I’m going to go Oklahoma,” said Klatt. “Now, a lot of people up until this point have overlooked Oklahoma in this process but I’m not going to do that. I think Oklahoma is going to be a really good football team. They’re coming off, obviously, that disappointing, 6-7 season after they won 10 games in 2023.”

That starts with the offense at Oklahoma, which finished just inside the Top-100 last season in averaging just 24 points with 331 yards per game after being pretty inconsistent at multiple spots. New OC Ben Arbuckle, whose offenses posted 34.2 points and 432.3 yards per game the past two seasons at Washington State, is tasked with fixing that with players like QB John Mateer, who’s following him from Wazzu as the No. 3 QB from the transfer portal per On3, and RB Jaydn Ott, the No. 4 RB from the portal after transferring this spring from California. That then continues on defense with Venables himself taking over the role as that unit’s play caller.

“The offense last year was a disaster so they got better,” said Klatt. “They brought in one of the really good offensive coordinators in the country, so they got in Ben Arbuckle. And he brought his quarterback and so John Mateer comes in at quarterback. That will help them. There’s no doubt.”

“Meanwhile, Brent Venables is going to call the defense so he’s going to do what he’s best at,” Klatt added.

However, all that said, the Sooners could definitely be a better team but not have that much better of a record. That’s with them flipping that same schedule from last year in conference play while also playing a big non-conference matchup in the second week of the season for a slate that includes nine teams that Klatt mentioned at some point in this episode among his Top-30

“Now, here’s the hard part for Oklahoma and, you Sooner fans, you know this. The schedule is still absolutely rigid. I, it’s – I mean, in a lot of ways, it’s terrible,” said Klatt. “Week two, you got to host Michigan in Norman. And then, their last seven games? Check this out. Brutal stretch – Texas, at South Carolina, Ole Miss, at Tennessee, bye week, at Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. Woo. I’ll tell you what, man…There’s not many easy games in that conference and I, this Oklahoma schedule is evidence of that.”

Oklahoma needs a better record again in 2025 in a pivotal year for the program under Venables. Klatt thinks there’s enough pieces to think that they could improve that mark with them rounding out the teams in his Top-25 coming out of the spring.

“Mateer comes in from Washington State, Arbuckle comes in to fix the offense, Venables goes back to calling the defense, which is obviously what his forte was at Clemson when they were winning national championships, and they should be better,” said Klatt.