The Oklahoma Sooners will face one of the most challenging schedules in the nation in 2025. It’s a result of the 10 years of success they enjoyed prior to joining the SEC. It’s a slate that has some tough road trips and difficult stretches of games. But that’s what comes with playing in the SEC. OU will face several challenges, but head coach Brent Venables remains confident in his team ahead of the 2025 season.
However, not every game is the same, and the teams Oklahoma faces this year have undergone significant turnover from the rosters the Sooners struggled against in 2024. There’s an opportunity for OU to have a resurgent season, but they’ll need to be on top of their game every single week.
For the Sooners to be in playoff contention, these are the five most important games on their 2025 schedule.
1. Michigan Wolverines
Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in Norman
Typically, it would be tough to argue that a week two nonconference game holds the most importance in a season. But Oklahoma doesn’t simply need to win the game for the record’s sake; they need to win it to flip the narrative about the program.
It’s an early-season matchup between two iconic brands in primetime. The college football world will be watching.
The Sooners have high expectations for the 2025 season and getting a win over Michigan in week two would provide a ton of confidence for a team looking to re-establish itself as one of the sport’s best.
Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. in Dallas (Cotton Bowl)
The Texas Longhorns enter the season as the favorites in the SEC. They’re among a handful of teams with the best shot to win the national championship. Their Red River Rivals have blown them out in two of Venables’ three seasons at the helm. Although there were extenuating circumstances that contributed to Oklahoma’s poor offensive performance, it’s still a terrible look for the program that invented winning.
Going up against the former five-star quarterback Arch Manning, a talented play-caller in Steve Sarkisian, and one of the best defenses in college football the Sooners will face a significant test when they take on the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl.
The Red River Showdown doesn’t just have on-field implications; it can sway recruiting battles. Perception is often reality, and the perception nationally is that Texas is light years ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners. Whether that’s the reality or not, the only way to change that perception is to win the game.
Nov. 29 in Norman, Okla.
The Oklahoma Sooners held a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter on the road in Death Valley in 2024. Then the Sooners gave up a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Anthony Anderson that turned the tide. Including the kick return, the Sooners were outscored 27-3 over the final two and a half quarters.
The Sooners’ coverage was exposed by Garrett Nussmeier and Chris Hilton, and the offense couldn’t respond.
OU will welcome the Tigers to Gaylord-Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to close out the regular season. This game could have both short-term and long-term ramifications for the future of the program.
The LSU Tigers are expected to be a contender in 2025, and if the Sooners are as good as many think they could be, this game could determine a playoff berth for either team.
Oct. 18 in Columbia, South Carolina
Right after the Oklahoma Sooners play Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns in Dallas, the Sooners have to go on the road to face the South Carolina Gamecocks and LaNorris Sellers in Williams-Brice Stadium in South Carolina. Two tough tests against two of the SEC’s best quarterbacks and teams in back-to-back weeks.
There isn’t a more difficult two-game stretch on the schedule for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Obviously, Oklahoma wants to win both games, but for them to maintain any playoff aspirations for 2025, they have to come out of this two-game stretch at least 1-1. Lose both and OU would have to run the table over the final five games of the season.
Nov. 15 in Tuscaloosa
The Oklahoma Sooners pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season when they beat Alabama 24-3 in Norman last season. The win knocked Alabama out of playoff contention and provided a glimpse of what the Sooners could be along the offensive line when everyone is healthy. The defense was stout, shutting down Jalen Milroe in the run game and picking off a couple of passes that led to scores.
Alabama is expected to be a contender this year and you know the Crimson Tide faithful will want to make the Sooners pay for last year’s upset.
Coming out of a bye week, the road trip to Tuscaloosa will kick off a pivotal three-game stretch to close the season against Alabama, Missouri, and LSU.
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