Joel Klatt breaks down what he likes about the Oklahoma Sooners in 2025

FOX Sports college football color commentator and college football analyst Joel Klatt included the Oklahoma Sooners in his preseason Top 25 rankings a couple of weeks ago, ranking them 24th. On Wednesday, he dove further into why they could be a sleeper to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but also why they may have trouble making a surprise run to the CFP.

To put it simply, Klatt has some very strong likes when it comes to OU, but also some strong dislikes. Let's break down how the former Colorado quarterback feels about the Sooners heading into the 2025 season.

Klatt Likes: New Offensive Pillars

I love the additions on offense. John Mateer is a guy I’m very impressed with. I’ve talked about him at length this offseason. (Ben) Arbuckle, his offensive coordinator at Washington State, also joins him in Norman there. Their offense should be better. It was bad last year. The film was some of the worst that I’ve ever seen, to be honest with you. - Klatt, Joel Klatt Show

Klatt called Oklahoma a playoff sleeper. Much of his optimism about the Sooners hinges on a significant improvement from the offense. Klatt is a believer in the Arbuckle-Mateer duo that came over to Oklahoma from Washington State.

The Sooners finished 97th in the nation in scoring offense and were one of the worst offenses in the SEC last year. Oklahoma averaged just 13 points per game in conference play when you take the defensive touchdowns out of the equation.

Along with Mateer, Oklahoma added one of the best running backs in the nation in Jaydn Ott, a number of playmakers at wide receiver and tight end, and veteran offensive linemen to provide better depth than what Oklahoma rolled into 2024 with.

But a lot hinges on Mateer and Arbuckle producing at a similar level to what they did at Washington State. Mateer may not have the 4,000 total yards and 44 touchdowns, but if he comes anywhere close to that, the Sooners will have an offense that can contend in the SEC in 2025.

Klatt Likes: Venables Calling The Defense

Defense improved. The defense has steadily improved. Venables will be the play-caller on the defensive side for OU this year. I like that. I really like that. He’s entering his fourth season. We’ve seen them have a double-digit win season under Venables. So, can it happen? Absolutely. Klatt, Joel Klatt Show

Since the day Brent Venables was hired as Oklahoma's head coach, the Sooners were always going to run his defense, whether he was the one calling the plays or not. After all, Venables is one of the best defensive minds in college football and came back to Norman after calling and coordinating defenses for two national championship teams at Clemson.

Ted Roof was the defensive coordinator and called the plays in 2022. He also held the position in 2023, but Venables was calling the plays that season. Venables turned play-calling duties over to Zac Alley last year, when he hired him to replace Roof as the DC in 2024. However, when Alley left after last season for the same role at West Virginia, Venables decided to take full control of the defense himself in his fourth season as the head coach in 2025, including the play-calling duties once again.

Klatt Dislikes: The Schedule

"Here’s the problem. If they had a more favorable schedule, like Auburn’s? I think I would probably pick them (as a CFP sleeper) right here," Klatt said. "But I can’t, in good conscience, pick them with what their schedule is. They’ve had a losing record two of their first three years ... They went 2-6 in SEC play in their first year last year, with largely the same type of schedule and I think this one might even be more difficult. They’re not making this jump ... Best-case is that they go into the Texas game undefeated, and then they still have to find, what, three or four more wins after that? I don’t like it ... While I think they can improve, I don’t think they’ll make enough of an improvement, as it relates to their schedule, which we don’t talk about enough, to go to the playoff."

Klatt believes the schedule could hold Oklahoma back from reaching the College Football Playoff. The Sooners have a premier nonconference game against Michigan, before a very, very difficult conference slate that features Auburn, Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU.

The Sooners hope they have the pieces in place to make a run at the CFP, a place they haven't been since 2019. With a new brain trust on offense, and a defense that returns solid production from a good unit a year ago, there's reason to believe that things will be better this fall. However, Oklahoma didn't get any favors at all from the SEC schedule-makers during their first two seasons in the league. How OU navigates their daunting schedule could ultimately tell the story of the 2025 team.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Joel Klatt details his likes and dislikes for Oklahoma in 2025