The College Football Playoff is getting started on Friday folks! It’s here. We’re not too far from getting a chance to watch the Texas Tech Red Raiders compete (but we will have to wait a little bit longer for that). On Friday, the 2025-2026 CFP gets rolling as the Alabama Crimson Tide head to Norman, Oklahoma for a rematch with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Given how Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide has managed to really struggle against Brent Venables and Oklahoma in the past few meetings between the two teams, I’m sure Alabama fans are thrilled about this one.
Heading into this game, what do Texas Tech fans need to know? Let’s get up to speed on Oklahoma first.
Everything Texas Tech fans need to know about the Oklahoma Sooners as the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff starts
First, in case you’re not familiar (or happened to forget) a few basics about the Sooners, let’s get reacquainted real quick:
- Head coach: Brent Venables
- Conference: SEC (after leaving the Big 12 to follow Texas to a new conference)
- Location: Norman, Oklahoma
- Stadium: Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
- 2025 record: 10-2 overall, 6-2 SEC
The Sooners were a longtime member of the Big 12 along with the Red Raiders before Oklahoma ended up in the SEC in a deal that took both the Sooners and the Texas Longhorns to the same conference that the Texas A&M Aggies and Missouri Tigers had left the Big 12 for.
This season, the Sooners aren’t exactly what they were when they were in the Big 12. Those OU teams scored a ton of points. This OU team is averaging 353.7 total yards of offense per game. That said, Oklahoma is holding folks to just 273.6 total yards of offense.
So, with one of the best defenses in the country, there’s a good chance that the Sooners might just smother their opponents.
Oklahoma is the No. 8 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff and the Sooners managed to get to this point in the season by securing wins over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers, Missouri Tigers, and LSU Tigers. The Sooners do have two losses on the season, one to Texas when OU QB John Mateer was far from being healthy and then a home loss to the Ole Miss Rebels.
And if you want more Oklahoma info? Check out Stormin' In Norman for more in depth Sooners coverage.