Colin Cowherd has always been a hot take artist. It's part of his brand and why people tune into his show. However, he's not usually the first to admit he's wrong.
The FOX Sports host found himself between a rock and a hard place, acknowledging this week that he misjudged Oklahoma’s transition into the SEC. On his podcast, Cowherd told college football analyst Josh Pate that he had the wrong impression of the Sooners and underestimated the program under coach Brent Venables.
Cowherd admitted that a combination of factors have changed his mind, but also took him down another road with OU. Lincoln Riley’s departure to USC, along with Oklahoma’s inconsistent recruiting base and concerns about Venables’ readiness as a head coach coming from being under Dabo Swinney at Clemson were all reasonably doubt to him.
Oklahoma now has surged in its second SEC season, entering the final stretch at 8-2 and in strong College Football Playoff contention.
“I am shocked at how good Oklahoma’s doing,” Cowherd said. “I didn’t know if Venables was a head coach. The state doesn’t produce a ton of players. Lincoln Riley left. I look up at Oklahoma… and I’ve watched them play Bama back-to-back years. They’ve dismantled them. My bad. Oklahoma looks and plays like an SEC team.”
The Sooners have backed up that praise with wins over Michigan, Tennessee and Alabama, while close losses to Texas and Ole Miss. They're on the fringe of a playoff run and closing out the season with a bang.
One unknown is how Sooners' quarterback John Mateer continues to recover. The one-time Heisman contender before a hand injury remains a steady dual-threat as Oklahoma closes the season against Missouri and LSU. A 10-2 finish could secure the Sooners’ first playoff berth in the SEC era.
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