Josh Pate: Oklahoma and Brent Venables might be the sleepers in college football.

Sleeping on Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners might not be the greatest decision, as Josh Pate from Late Kick suggests.

The landscape of college football is about to change. The number of conferences is rising, program alignment is shifting, and these programs themselves are evolving.

Some features of the sport may be ignored as a result of this confusion. Host of Late Kick and national college football commentator for 247Sports and CBS Sports Josh Pate believes that could be the case with the Norman, Oklahoma-based show.

“People still may be sleeping on Brent Venables,” stated Pate. “So, this year is completely new. Oklahoma has decided to enter the SEC. Let’s give the hypothesis a try.

Pate conducted some studies with his group. They looked at a few of the Sooners’ plots. Some of the national narrative didn’t align with the outcomes.

“Don here, a viewer, says Brent Venables is recruiting better than former OU head coach Lincoln Riley,” Pate stated. “Is he? Indeed, he is. Check mark number one, then. Under Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma often recruited in the top-10 to top-15 area. Under Brent Venables, Oklahoma is now ranked in the top five to top ten every year. Additionally, during the last two cycles, they have had top transfer portal classes. Therefore, the answer is that Oklahoma is developing talent more quickly.”

“Did Brent Venables stablize the program when he took the job, absolutely,” said Pate. “There’s a big checkmark there. They finished 10-3 this past year after finishing about 6-7 the previous year. We watched them beat Texas last year after they had been blanked 49-0 two years prior. It was witnessed by us. Thus, you are also correct in that regard.”

Additionally, the head coach has a talented group surrounding him that should inspire hope for OU’s future. There are players on the roster, both new and old, who could help Oklahoma surpass expectations.

“Jackson Arnold, the quarterback, comes in this year to be the starter,” Pate stated. He participated in the bowl match. Oklahoma’s defense returns a plethora of players. Indeed, double check. All of that is accurate.

That being said, Pate thinks Oklahoma shouldn’t be disregarded. He even believes that certain sportsbooks are indicating to you that this is the case.

“Yeah, maybe Brent Venables is being slept on,” replied Pate. “And you know damn well that because of what the Longhorns just accomplished, Texas is going to need a lot more oxygen in the room than Oklahoma does when they first enter, and they will have extremely high expectations.” However, perhaps Oklahoma should be held to a bit higher standard.”

“I’ve got questions about their offensive line,” said Pate. “They are 17th overall in College Football Playoff odds to win the entire thing, despite losing both coordinators. Place a wager on Oklahoma if you believe you have a read on them and that their offensive line situation is not as dire as it has been made up to be while examining that odds market. You’ll at the very least be able to pay them well today.”

Ultimately, Oklahoma may have had higher expectations of this club this season. There may be good cause to think that as the program enters a new phase, OU is in capable hands.

“But maybe, in the grand scheme of things, maybe you’re right,” Pate replied. “Maybe Brent Venables and the Sooners are being slept on a little bit.”