RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe Oklahoma Sooners are coming off a bounce-back season in 2025. The Sooners went 10-3 after going 6-7 in 2024, making their first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019.
But the Sooners are hoping to be even better in 2026. They return star quarterback John Mateer, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna and several defensive stars, including linebacker Kip Lewis, defensive backs Peyton and Eli Bowen and defensive linemen Taylor Wein and David Stone.
However, to improve on their 10-2 regular season, the Sooners would have to do something they haven't done since 2019: win at least 11 games in the regular season. That's exactly what On3's J.D. PicKell is predicting. On "The Hard Count," PicKell predicted Oklahoma to go 11-1 with the lone loss against the Georgia Bulldogs on the road.
"Man, I think Oklahoma finishes at 11-1," PicKell said. "I was sitting down doing this segment (Tuesday) morning, and full transparency, I felt like Oklahoma would be closer to 10-2... You look at the matchups that they have. Of their nine Power 4 opponents, seven of them will have either a new play caller or a new quarterback. Advantage Brent Venables every single freaking time."
An 11-1 season won't come easily with Oklahoma's demanding SEC schedule, but Oklahoma has one of the most experienced rosters of the Brent Venables era. If the offense takes another step forward while the defense continues to play at an elite level, Oklahoma has a legitimate opportunity to contend for both an SEC championship and a return trip to the College Football Playoff.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners predicted to have best regular season since 2019
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