Oklahoma didn’t make its final regular-season statement with style, but it survived it with meaning. A tense 17–13 win over LSU closed their campaign on a night where the offense sputtered, the turnovers piled up, and the Sooners needed every bit of defensive backbone to escape Norman with momentum intact. Yet the bigger twist wasn’t the score; it was what the narrow escape now sets in motion.

Saturday’s win unlocked a postseason advantage most contenders would envy. With the CFP’s first-round games scheduled for December 19 and 20, Oklahoma now enters a rare three-week runway to repair a broken offense before the bracket locks in. A window CFB analyst Brent Rollins believes drastically shifts their playoff ceiling.

“And you think about Oklahoma, I think, cementing themselves as a playoff team,” said Brent Rollins on the Nov. 29 episode of See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack. “As much as their offense is utterly putrid, they at least have three weeks to practice and figure something out and get reps and maybe have a little bit of wrinkles here and there like like it’s really bad. But playing their defense, you also have to play that side of the ball, too.”

That’s not just talk. Oklahoma’s defense ranks No. 6 nationally in both scoring defense and defensive stop rate, and has climbed into the top 10 in opponent yards per game. They’ve also led the country in sacks (41) and tackles for loss (110) while sitting No. 2 in yards per rush allowed (2.44), which is exactly why Rollins can afford to be so harsh on the offense and still bullish on their playoff ceiling.

According to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor, the No. 8 Oklahoma has a 99% chance of making it into the first round of the playoff, with an 88% chance to host. And if Oklahoma is going to justify those odds, the offense must look nothing like what it showed against LSU.

In the game against LSU, John Mateer had an awful game in the first three quarters, but kept battling. He had three interceptions, missing the reads and throws. He finished the game 23 of 38, passing 318 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions, and also added 8 carries for 27 yards. This is something that Oklahoma couldn’t afford entering the Playoffs, especially without starting center Jake Maikkula, Troy Everett, and a banged-up running back room.

Mateer himself admitted, “Thanks to this defense, we’re still alive,” calling the final 15 minutes everything he’d worked for and crediting the unit for giving him the grace to keep shooting after the turnovers.

But three weeks after the regular season could be well enough for Brent Venables to fix things and practice harder to bounce back as a solid Oklahoma unit in the playoffs. However, how far they can push those limits remains to be seen.

Brent Venables’ Oklahoma offense rank and standings

When discussing Oklahoma’s offense, it’s essential to note its current standing. The Sooners’ offense is ranked No. 74, having 25.6 points per game, averaging 340.8 yards per game. Their 3rd down and 4th down conversion rate is one of the biggest concerns in the regular season. They have 38.46% efficiency in third downs and 50% efficiency in fourth downs, ranking No. 75 and No. 84.

The month-to-month trend is even uglier than the full-season numbers. Oklahoma’s offense has averaged just 19 points per game over its last four and 21.8 points per game since Mateer returned from thumb surgery, a mark that ranks 100th in FBS over that stretch.

John Mateer, their QB1, wasn’t that accurate, especially after his hand injury. With 221 of 356 completions for 2,578 passing yards for 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, he has a QBR of 65.7%, ranking 48th. This is comparatively lower than the other QBs entering the playoffs. Their rushing play is not at its best either, with 49.60%, averaging 33.6 rushes per game, ranking 84th in the country. They average 125.6 yards per game, ranked 99th.

The contrast with their front seven is stark. While the offense sits in the 90s nationally in rush yards per game, the defense is allowing just 78.2 rushing yards per game (No. 2 in FBS) and 2.3 yards per carry (No. 1), per TeamRankings. In other words, Oklahoma is built like a throwback defensive contender that’s dragging an average ground game into a modern spread era.

And compared to fellow contenders like Oregon and Texas, both dealing with key defensive injuries, Oklahoma enters December with one of the healthiest and most complete defensive fronts in the field.

While entering the playoffs for the first time since 2019, there are many bigger things to work on and fix for Brent Venables to keep the national title hope rolling, before they enter the first round game on either Dec. 19 or Dec. 20.