John Mateer's 1215 Yards and 11 Touchdowns From Last Season Are The Real Problem For Every Other Program

Alright, Seattle, let's talk college football for a sec, because sometimes a story just grabs you, right? And listen up, because On3's J.D. PicKell just dropped a bomb, naming the Oklahoma Sooners a dark horse to win the national championship in 2026. Yeah, you heard that right, a *dark horse* contender for the whole dang thing. This isn't just some casual pick, folks, this is someone looking at the numbers and seeing something everyone else is missing. You know we love a good underdog story here in the Emerald City, and if PicKell's right, the Sooners could be about to shock a lot of people.

Brent Venables: From Hot Seat to Headliner

Let's rewind a bit, because this wasn't always the vibe down in Norman. Brent Venables took over that program back before the 2021 season after Lincoln Riley dipped out to LA, and man, it was a rough start. His first year, 2021, they went 6-7. Six wins, seven losses. That was their first losing season since 1998, which, for a program like Oklahoma, is like the Seahawks missing the playoffs two years in a row. Ouch. They bounced back with a 10-3 year, and everyone thought they had momentum heading into their first SEC season. Nope. Disaster struck, they went 6-7 again, and Venables was squarely on the hot seat for 2025. But here's where it gets good. In 2025, Venables went back to what he does best: calling the defense. This dude is a certified defensive guru, leading Oklahoma to a national title way back in 2000 and then Clemson to two more in 2016 and 2018. When he took the reins on that D, the whole team shifted. They turned their season around, finished 10-3, and actually made it back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. That's a serious turnaround, proving that sometimes you just gotta go back to your roots, you know?

The John Mateer Question: Can He Get Back to Heisman Form?

Now, the biggest X-factor for 2026, and why PicKell thinks they're a top 10 team, is star quarterback John Mateer. This kid was on fire at the start of last season, the kind of fire that makes you a Heisman Trophy front-runner. In his first four games, Mateer threw for 1,215 yards, six touchdowns, and only three interceptions. Plus, he added 190 rushing yards and five more touchdowns, leading the Sooners to a perfect 4-0 record. The dude was unstoppable, a dual-threat nightmare for defenses. Then, disaster struck. In that fourth game against Auburn, he broke the thumb on his throwing hand. He missed one game, and when he came back, it just wasn't the same. Those final eight games? He passed for 1,670 yards, but only eight touchdowns to eight interceptions, and added 241 rushing yards and three scores. Not terrible, but clearly not the electric start we saw. This is where the "dark horse" part comes in. If Mateer can truly return to that pre-injury form, the one where he was practically unstoppable, then Oklahoma isn't just a dark horse, they're a legitimate threat to take home the whole damn trophy. They've got the No. 16 returning production in college football, so the talent around him is there. The 2026 season is going to be wild, and with Venables proving he can still coach at an elite level and Mateer's potential for redemption, the Sooners are a team we absolutely need to keep an eye on. Can Mateer heal up and unleash that Heisman-level talent again? If he does, everyone else in college football is in for a rude awakening.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.