The Oklahoma Sooners had high hopes for their 2026 season, but those hopes have not been realized. After a season that saw OU make the College Football Playoff, the goal was to go even further this year. Instead, Oklahoma is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SEC through seven total games in 2026.

The culprit to OU's failure to take a step forward is obvious to anyone watching. Since the Sooners got to the SEC, they haven't been good enough on offense. While head coach Brent Venables has completely rebuilt the defense and its been a good unit for the last three seasons, he's responsible for the entirety of the program, not just his side of the ball. In that same time period, the offense has fallen off of a cliff, and the results have fallen with it.

USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg listed the biggest flops of the 2026 season, and the Sooners made the list, along with Oregon, Texas A&M, Michigan (who beat Oklahoma), Penn State, Washington, and Clemson. Again, OU's fatal flaw is an obvious one.

"It’s the offense. Again. The defense has been good enough, putting Oklahoma in position to beat Michigan and Kentucky while doing just enough to deliver wins against No. 11 Texas and Mississippi State. But despite offseason optimism centered on quarterback John Mateer’s return and the increased experience in Ben Arbuckle’s scheme, the Sooners have been held under 4.9 yards per play in four of five games against Power Four teams and is averaging only 21.6 points per game despite a 51-0 win against Texas-El Paso in the opener. Remove that win, and the average drops to 16.8 points per game." - Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports.

Here's the thing about this season, though. It isn't over. Yes, the Sooners won't be returning to the CFP, and that's a huge disappointment, but there are still five weeks left in the regular season. The remainder of the season is big for a number of people associated with the program, but if OU can win eight or nine games and finish the season winning, say six games in a row or five out of six games, it would create momentum for the 2027 season. While that is certainly going to be an uphill battle, given Oklahoma's massive liabilities, it is technically possible. A strong stretch run and a spot in say, the Citrus, ReliaQuest, or Gator bowls would represent improvement after a bad first half of the season. Especially when you compare it to a poor stretch run and playing in a less prestigious bowl, or missing a bowl game altogether.

For Venables, a good final stretch would be a break from his pattern of winning six games and then winning 10 games. Yes, he needed to be able to take the Sooners to the playoff this year, but eight or nine wins would reflect a whole lot better than four, five, six, or seven wins. It would mean that he took a flawed team and won eight or nine games in the SEC jungle, and captained a team that many left for dead early on to at least a respectable record. The expectation at Oklahoma is to win national championships. That isn't happening this year. However, a strong finish, followed by some changes on offense would at least inspire hope that Venables can use what will be his final chance to fix the offense to, you know, actually fix the offense. His preseason contract extension and hefty buyout mean he's safe for now, but eventually he'll have to show that he can win big and win big consistently, or he won't be at OU anymore.

For offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, a strong finish would probably mean the Sooners made some strides on offense. It's pretty simple for Arbuckle. He's absolutely coaching to keep his job for next season, and he hasn't fixed the problem Venables hired him to fix. In fact, his group might actually be worse than the 2024 unit in some ways. A good stretch run would at least present the argument that Arbuckle should be given a final chance, though there's a lot of work to be done to get to that point.

The same goes for the offensive coaching staff under Arbuckle, as they are all coaching for their jobs as well. Oklahoma's offense hasn't been close to good enough since the 2023 season ended. The players have changed, the play-caller has changed, the quarterback has changed, and even a couple of position coaches have changed. At some point, while Venables is responsible and Arbuckle is responsible, you have to start looking at the position coaches. There's no cohesion on OU's offensive staff right now, and wiping the slate clean on that side of the ball might be the only option Venables has after the season, unless there's marked improvement.

A strong finish would mean the world for quarterback John Mateer, who has taken the brunt of the criticism for the offense's performance. Some of that criticism has been warranted and some of it hasn't been, but that's what you sign on for when you decide to play quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. Mateer's eligibility is up at the end of this season, and he'll be trying to do his best to make an NFL roster next year. A strong stretch run would certainly help his pro prospects look a lot better, but it would also mean he showed something over the last few weeks of the season. Mateer hasn't been what he was promised to be when he and Arbuckle came over from Washington State, but maybe he can still be what this version of Oklahoma needs to get some wins. His two years as Sooner will be remembered much more fondly if he can help steer the ship to a more respectable finish in 2026.

Lastly, a big finish would mean a lot for general manager Jim Nagy. This is his second season at OU, and it's the first time that a team that he fully put together has been on the field. That's resulted in a poor overall performance, so a strong stretch run would inspire more confidence in Nagy as well. He's had some hits in the portal since he arrived, with players like Rocky Beers and Jake Maikkula, but he's also had some big misses, like the additions of Jaydn Ott, Parker Livingstone, and E'Marion Harris, or losing players like Sammy Omosigho, Javonnie Gibson, Zion Ragins, and offensive line depth. If OU can win eight or nine games to close the year, it could show that Nagy's first full team was a few plays away from potentially making a return trip to the playoff.

Unfortunately for the Sooners, a trip back to the playoff isn't happening this year. However, the difference between a so-so finish and a strong one would be very important for some of the biggest names associated with OU Football. Everyone in that building would much rather be 6-1 or 5-2 and fighting to make the CFP, but there's still a lot on the line in the next five weeks, even if it looks differently than what was expected.