John Mateer’s six turnovers in the last three games? Yeah, that’s why Oklahoma is sitting at No. 9 in the SEC, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, and the vibe from last season’s College Football Playoff run has totally evaporated. The 2026 season hasn’t just gone off the rails; it’s barely on the tracks, and everyone’s feeling it.
The Brutal Reality of a Disappointing Offense
Let’s just be honest, a 2-2 record on the year is absolutely not what anyone expected from the Sooners. This team was coming in hot off a College Football Playoff appearance, and now they’ve dropped games to the Michigan Wolverines and the Georgia Bulldogs. Even their single win against the New Mexico Lobos was a nail-biter, a tight 14-6. The offense, which should be lighting up scoreboards, has been a massive disappointment. Mateer, who we all had high hopes for, is clearly struggling. Six turnovers in the last three outings is a tough pill to swallow, and it’s directly tied to why that early-season optimism has just faded to black.
FPI’s Gut Punch and a Shot at Redemption
ESPN’s FPI is supposed to be the best predictor for how a team performs the rest of the season, measuring true team strength. So, for it to rank the Sooners at No. 9 in the SEC after their bye week? That’s not just a ranking, that’s a gut punch. It’s a stark reminder of how far off track they’ve gotten from where they thought they’d be. But here’s the kicker: that bye week wasn’t just a break; it was a chance to hit the reset button. Now, they’ve got perhaps the ultimate opportunity to flip the script and tell those FPI projections where to go.
Saturday against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry isn’t just another game. It’s the chance for Oklahoma to prove everyone, including the FPI, dead wrong. A win over Texas would immediately change the entire conversation around this squad and could ignite the kind of momentum they need to tear through the second half of the season. The Sooners can’t control what some algorithm says, but they absolutely control what happens on that field. This Saturday, it’s all about rewriting the 2026 season’s story, plain and simple.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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