Long before Oklahoma’s debut 2024 season as a member of the fiercely competitive SEC kicked off, it was clear that the toughest part of one of college football’s toughest schedules would be the final five weeks of the season.

We’re at that point in the season now, where the Sooners own a respectable but un-Oklahoma-like overall record of 4-3, but are in serious danger of not getting the final two wins that would put OU in line for a postseason bowl assignment for the 26th. consecutive year. Oklahoma’s current active streak of 25 consecutive bowl appearances is second only to Georgia with 27.

Ironically, the bowl appearance in Oklahoma that started this quarter-century streak was the 1999 Independence Bowl, where OU’s opponent was none other than Ole Miss, the Sooners’ opponent this Saturday in only the second all-time meeting between the two teams.

Ole Miss prevailed in the 1999 game 27-25 after a game-winning, walk-off field goal as time expired. That Oklahoma team finished the season 7-5 Bob Stoops’ first season at Oklahoma and the only time he won fewer than eight games in his 18 seasons as head coach of the Sooners.

The Sooners have five games remaining in the regular season, and the Sooners are favored in just one game, Nov. 2 at home against the University of Maine in the Coastal Athletic Conference. That win would give Oklahoma five for the season, one short of bowl eligibility. OU is a 21-point underdog at Ole Miss this weekend and could easily be double-digit underdogs to No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 23 and to No. 21 Missouri on Nov. 9 and to No. 8 LSU to close out the regular season and perhaps the 2024 season in the case of the Sooners.

Oklahoma must find a way to pull off an improbable win over Ole Miss, Alabama, Missouri or LSU to become bowl eligible. Unless the anemic Sooner offense, which has cut quarterbacks and offensive coordinators in an effort to find a spark and provide some combustion to an offensive attack that has been in neutral for most of the season, Brent Venables will look to his watch the second loss. season in the three years he was the Sooners’ head coach, not to mention serious scrutiny of his job.

Venables was the popular choice when he was appointed to replace Lincoln Riley. Oklahoma’s defense found itself at a similar point of inferiority after the 2021 season, and the prevailing view was that if anyone could turn around the Sooners’ ugly defensive performance, it was Venables, who is widely recognized in college football as a defensive magician.

Oklahoma’s defense has undeniably improved under Venables, but no one thought what had long been a dynamic, high-scoring Sooner offensive machine would change course, and so quickly. The Sooners are shockingly at the bottom of the FBS ladder in major offensive statistical categories this season. For those who might think OU would have been better off staying in the Big 12, unfortunately, the team with the most Big 12 championships would be in similar straights in that league.

Houston is one of the worst teams in the Big 12 in 2024, and Oklahoma, playing at home, narrowly defeated the Cougars 16-12 earlier this season. And the Sooner’s flawed offense actually played a little better then.

Even ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, a longtime supporter of Oklahoma’s football program, can’t ignore the elephant in the room regarding Sooner football this season. Herbstreit took to social media this week to share his thoughts on some of the best college teams this season, as well as teams that were deeply disappointing. He mentioned Oklahoma on the latest list.

“The Sooners have hit rock bottom. Oklahoma is seriously faltering as an offense.”

– ESPN CFB analyst Kirk Herbstreit

Oklahoma football fans are probably starting to wonder why their beloved Sooners can’t have the best of both worlds and a head coach who can bring out the best on both sides of the ball. Lincoln Riley, for example, was a master at attacking football, and Venables also at defensive level.

You don’t have to sacrifice good offense for good defense and vice versa. The teams that are able to merge the two in a complementary manner are the ones that are able to achieve sustained success and not only go bowling every season, but compete for the top bowl destinations.