Blatant Homerism: Finishing strong
With 11 regular season games in the books, we really don’t have much left to say about the Oklahoma Sooners and their 2025 campaign.
We could talk about their Thanksgiving weekend matchup with in Norman with the LSU Tigers. The Bayou Bengals have owned OU in recent history, so the Sooners do get an opportunity to break that stranglehold on the program. However, with LSU in chaos, it feels bizarre trying to analyze matchups like how OU’s secondary will hold up against the Tigers’ receivers.
It’s hard to know who will even be on the field for the visiting team. Not to mention, what frame of mind will the Tigers be in?
Similarly, we could discuss how OU could improve in the next few weeks in preparation for the postseason. That cake is baked, though. If the Sooners do win versus LSU on Saturday, they will enjoy an extended break to heal up before any potential College Football Playoff game. Realistically, that will mean more to their postseason hopes than any guesswork about how to rev up an offense that has lost its spark.
Instead, let’s consider what a resounding success this season has been for OU’s program – whether the Sooners win on Saturday or not.
Oklahoma dealt with an excruciating schedule in what was widely seen as a make-or-break season for head coach Brent Venables. They didn’t navigate it perfectly, but their performance has far exceeded even reasonable expectations.
Did OU get lucky to reach this point? Absolutely. Teams rarely win games in the manner that the Sooners did in upsetting Alabama a few weeks ago.
Of the teams currently in contention for a place in the CFP, plenty are probably better than the Sooners. But none traveled a more arduous path just to reach contention: Of OU’s 11 opponents to date, more than half reside in the top 25 of the SP+ efficiency rankings. Notably, five of the Sooners’ last six games have come against top 25 squads.
It doesn’t take winning a national title to recognize that as an accomplishment in and of itself. In fact, the reality that OU has won so many games this season with such a limited team speaks well of the program’s level of achievement in 2025.
So OU doesn’t need to win versus LSU to solidify opinions about this year. Nevertheless, losing on Saturday would leave us with an ill-fitting final impression about how this team handled its business this season. That reason alone should motivate the Sooners to bring their A game against the Tigers.
It would be a damn shame for OU to miss an opportunity to end the season on a high note.
Other Games on My Radar
Texas A&M at Texas
I realize it goes against my position on the importance of maintaining traditional rivalries, but I honestly preferred the cold war between the Longhorns and Aggies when they stopped playing for a decade. The trash talk about recruiting rankings and annual revenue was hilariously pathetic.
Oregon at Washington
One result from this weekend has to shake up the College Football Playoff rankings, right? I think a Huskies upset would do the trick.
Arizona at Arizona State
Did you know both of these teams have 8-3 records this year? It’s true.
Virginia Tech at Virginia
If the Cavaliers win this game, some one tell the bars in Charlotte to have the appletinis ready for next week.
North Carolina at North Carolina State
No one in Tar Heel country is embarrassed by this?