Oklahoma's Brent Venables embracing challenge of tough schedule

The Oklahoma Sooners took the stage for Day 1 of SEC Media Days 2026 in Tampa, Florida. Head coach Brent Venables was on hand to lead the OU representation, noting that it was his 33rd year in coaching, his fifth year as the head coach at Oklahoma, and his third year at SEC Media Days.

The 55-year-old Venables, now the SEC's oldest head coach, speaking on behalf of athletics director Roger Denny, university president Joseph Harroz Jr., chair of football Randall Stephenson, and the OU Board of Trustees, expressed his excitement and honor to represent Oklahoma at the event. He also noted that OU starts fall camp in just 16 days, and the season-opener against UTEP is just 46 days away. The always-intense Venables made it a point to emphasize the hard work in front of his Sooners, telling the media they didn't have a day to waste.

Venables expressed his appreciation for his coaching staff and his for players, and raved about the leadership that is present on this year's team, saying that the depth of leadership in the locker room is "as good as we've had, better than we've probably had here in the five years at Oklahoma. Really excited about that."

Venables was asked about OU's schedule, which is arguably the country's most difficult for the third year in a row. Ever since the Sooners joined the SEC, they've been handed a pretty brutal slate, and this year is no different.

However, in a time in college football when programs and coaches are complaining about schedule inequality and canceling high-profile non-league games, Venables is taking the opposite approach. Despite having as much to complain about as anyone schedule-wise, Venables is embracing the challenge and instilling in his team that they've got to be ready to beat whoever it's time to line up and play.

"I mean, every game's big, right? You only get 12 opportunities, unlike baseball or basketball," Venables said. "My responsibility is to get our guys ready to play football all 12 games ... I think in the out-of-season program for us, it's worked to our benefit in regards to the motivation, the excitement, the enthusiasm, the quality of the work that our guys have put in. Couldn't be more excited about that."

Within OU's first five games, they'll travel to Michigan, travel to Georgia, and take part in the annual Red River Rivalry matchup in Dallas against Texas at the Cotton Bowl. Rather than bemoan a scheduling situation that would be extremely tough on anyone, OU's head coach again doubled down on expressing his excitement at the challenge.

"You play an early game against Michigan on the road," Venables said. "There's some things you're trying to do from a scheduling standpoint that will give you the best chance to recover and be ready to go play. Great challenge ... Again, you're not going to sneak up on anybody in Ann Arbor or going to Athens, Georgia. I think they've lost maybe once in five or six years at home. Georgia has been the gold standard in my opinion for college football for quite some time now. Then obviously, Texas in Dallas is always a tremendous challenge, something our guys are ready to do."

Venables also reminded the media that Oklahoma is right at the very time of the all-time college football pecking order, a program that has done more over the last 131 years than just about anyone else in the sport. He also pointed ahead to the rest of Oklahoma's schedule, which includes big games against South Carolina, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Missouri in the last five weeks.

"I think that's more of an affirmation," Venables said. "Playing Michigan certainly out of conference, but that's what our conference looks like. Each and every week, you're not going to sneak up on anybody. Nobody's going to look past Oklahoma. We're going to bring out the best in everybody, something our guys are really looking forward to the challenge particularly early in the season. There's no walkovers after those three games either."

One of the reasons Venables has his job is that he clearly isn't afraid or intimidated by any team standing on the other sideline. One of the reasons he still has his job is that he was able to navigate the Sooners through a tough slate last year and get to the College Football Playoff. Teams often take on the identity of their head coach, and Venables, in an era where complaining about schedules is becoming the norm, is making sure Oklahoma's identity is simple: The Sooners will line up against whoever the powers that be decide they have to play.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma's Brent Venables embracing challenge of tough schedule