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Oklahoma

Paul Finebaum evaluates whether Oklahoma is a legit SEC championship contender

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax09/21/25BarkleyTruax
Brent Venables
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables shouts after a penalty during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Auburn Tigers at Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday,Sept. 20, 2025. Oklahoma won 24-17.

No. 11 Oklahoma picked up a pivotal win against No. 22 Auburn at home on Saturday. The victory improved the Sooners to 4-0 with two wins over ranked opponents so far this season.

However, Paul Finebaum isn’t convinced that Oklahoma is ready to contend in the SEC just yet. The SEC analyst broke down who’s in front of them, and why during through four weeks.

“I thought it was a great win,” Finebaum said. “I was out in Norman yesterday, and the defense was as good as I have seen this year. But let’s get real. Certainly, Georgia has a win at Tennessee. Texas is still to be determined. And what about Texas A&M with that win over Notre Dame? OU is really good, but I don’t think they’re going to be there at the end playing for the championship.”

Oklahoma’s two ranked victories came against Michigan and Auburn — both on their home turf. With the upcoming Red River Rivalry matchup being a neutral site game, the Sooners won’t face a ranked team on the road until the last weekend of October when they travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee. This bodes well for the Sooners’ momentum down the stretch, but at the moment, isn’t enough for Finebaum to call them contenders just yet.

Last season, the Sooners finished 6-7 overall with two wins against SEC play during Oklahoma’s first year in the conference. However, the Sooners have made some improvements in its personnel. Namely, quarterback John Mateer.

The star QB is a transfer from Washington State who arrived in Norman alongside new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Together, they have the Sooners offense rolling.

Through four games, Mateer is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. While that’s subject to change by week, it highlights the success the Sooners have enjoyed offensively this season.

Mateer is the leading passer and rusher on the Sooners’ squad. During his short time as OU’s quarterback, Mateer has thrown for 1,215 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passing attempts. He’s added 43 carries for 190 yards and five additional touchdowns on the ground.

For now, Oklahoma will enjoy a bye week with a perfect 4-0 record before returning to action during Week 6 against Kent State. That rounds out non-conference action for the Sooners, who will quickly turn their attention toward their annual rivalry matchup against Texas.