Oklahoma · SECOklahoma's No. 14 ranking puts the run game and John Mateer under pressure
The Sooners are projected sixth in the SEC, but the ranking rests on a specific repair job. Oklahoma needs a rushing attack that can carry more of the offense, protect Mateer from another turnover-heavy stretch and make its tight end overhaul matter on Saturdays.
AUG 21, 2026
Oklahoma's position in Mark Schlabach's preseason national power rankings.
Rushing yards per game for Oklahoma in 2025, 13th in the SEC.
Oklahoma's record under Brent Venables in the 2025 season.
01 · The NewsWhat Happened
Mark Schlabach placed Oklahoma at No. 14 in his preseason power rankings, making the Sooners the sixth-highest SEC team on the list. The ranking follows a 10-3 season under head coach Brent Venables and arrives with internal expectations rising in Norman. Schlabach identified Oklahoma's run game as the central issue. The Sooners averaged 118.5 rushing yards per game in 2025, which ranked 13th in the SEC. Quarterback John Mateer also needs to cut down on turnovers after struggling when he returned from a thumb injury. Oklahoma hired former Cowboys star Jason Witten to coach the tight ends, and Hayden Hansen, Jack Van Dorselaer and Rocky Beers joined the room through transfers. The reported plan is to use more 12 personnel, with two tight ends on the field.
02 · The StakesWhy This One Matters
This ranking is less about the number beside Oklahoma's name than the gap between its ceiling and its 2025 rushing production. A 118.5-yard rushing average puts too much of the offense on Mateer, especially when his margin for error narrowed after the thumb injury. The Sooners don't need a flashy run game to move up. They need one that keeps defenses honest, creates manageable downs and lets the quarterback play without carrying every drive. Witten's arrival gives Venables a new teacher for a room that has struggled as a run-blocking group for three years. The three transfers add bodies and experience, but they don't prove the position has been fixed. The ranking assumes that repair is real.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The part most people miss is the connection between the tight end room and Mateer's turnover problem. Oklahoma's run-game issue isn't isolated to the backs. If the Sooners can't block from heavier personnel, defenses can stay lighter and make Mateer win more often from spread looks. That raises the number of difficult throws and puts the offense back where it was last season. More 12 personnel could help, but only if the tight ends can create movement at the point of attack. Otherwise, the new grouping becomes decoration. The headline says Oklahoma needs more rushing yards. The deeper issue is whether the offense can create easier downs before Mateer has to solve the game himself.
“Now, if the tight end room still loses at the point of attack, the projection breaks quickly.”
The Wire Desk04 · The PersonnelWhat the Number Means
No. 14 places Oklahoma in a real national tier, but it doesn't give the Sooners much room for an ordinary offense. The ranking puts them sixth among SEC teams, so the path to another CFP appearance already carries a conference problem before the schedule is played. That isn't a prediction that Oklahoma falls short. It's a projection that the margin will be thin if the run game stays near last year's level. Venables has spent the offseason rebuilding the tight end room after three years of poor production, especially as blockers. Witten's coaching can improve the details. Hansen, Van Dorselaer and Beers can change the available personnel. Neither development guarantees the offense will run better. The first useful answer comes when Oklahoma faces a defense that can keep six defenders in the box and still handle its two-tight-end sets. If the Sooners force extra bodies into the box, the ranking has a football reason behind it. If not, No. 14 is mostly a preseason opinion.
05 · The ChessboardWhat the Coaches Can Actually Change
The likeliest offensive lever is more 12 personnel, with two tight ends forcing the defense to declare its box count before the snap. If Oklahoma gets a heavier front, the offense can test the edges and use the extra blocker to create cleaner runs. If the defense stays light, Mateer gets favorable numbers for play-action and quarterback runs. The question is whether the tight ends can block well enough to make that choice matter. Oklahoma may also use tighter formations and more under-center or condensed looks to give the backs a clearer entry point. Those are plausible responses, not confirmed plans. The tradeoff is obvious. More tight ends can help the run game, but it can also reduce route spacing if the group doesn't threaten the defense. The scheme only works when the personnel earns respect.
06 · The ThesisThe Pate State Read
No. 14 is fair if Oklahoma's run-game repair is real. That's the whole ranking. The Sooners already have the part that can make this work. Venables' defense is expected to be sound again, and a better rushing attack would keep that defense from having to rescue every close game. Mateer doesn't need to become a different quarterback. He needs fewer snaps where the offense asks him to create the answer from a bad down and distance. Better blocking can do that. It can also lower the turnover pressure that followed his return from the thumb injury. Now, if the tight end room still loses at the point of attack, the projection breaks quickly. Defenses will stay comfortable, Mateer will see more pressure, and Oklahoma's ceiling will shrink. The ranking is backing the repair job. The run game has to cash it.
07 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Does Oklahoma's rushing average rise early?
The first stretch of games will show whether the Sooners are creating better runs or simply calling more of them. A clear jump from 118.5 yards per game would support the No. 14 projection.
Which tight end wins blocking snaps?
The board will narrow when one player earns the staff's trust on early downs. If Oklahoma rotates three players without a reliable blocker emerging, the 12-personnel plan has not solved the room.
Can Mateer protect the football?
Mateer's turnover rate after returning from the thumb injury will tell us how much pressure the run game is actually removing. Fewer risky throws would show that the offense is giving him better situations.
Does the defense force heavier boxes?
If opponents add a defender to stop the run, Oklahoma's setup is working and the passing game should gain cleaner looks. If they keep light boxes, the Sooners aren't making the defense pay for respecting the formation.