The Oklahoma Sooners no longer have cupcakes on their schedule following a 44-0 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday. Instead, OU has a chance to unravel, as John Mateer’s hand injury leaves his status uncertain for the rest of the year, or rise with Michael Hawkins Jr. running the show in Mateer’s place.
ESPN’s Heather Dinich believes the Sooners will receive grace from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, but warned Brent Venables and Co. of the gauntlet ahead of them, with six of seven opponents left on the schedule being ranked. That being the Texas Longhorns, Ole Miss Rebels, Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Missouri Tigers, and LSU Tigers.
Even their unranked opponent, the South Carolina Gamecocks, has a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, LaNorris Sellers.
“Six of Oklahoma's next seven opponents are ranked, and it's still unclear if Mateer will be cleared to play in time for Saturday's Red River Rivalry game. The committee's protocol requires consideration of factors such as injuries to key players. As long as Mateer is out of the lineup, the committee will rank the Sooners based on if they look like a top-12 team with Hawkins in the lineup. OU has some margin for error, and it has plenty of opportunities to compensate for a loss or two,” Dinich wrote.
Oklahoma is one of several SEC squads that can cannibalize the other teams in the conference. Every opponent on their remaining schedule can make the CFP if they win out, but several can still make it with one loss.
Mateer’s hand injury could force the 2025 season to be a major “what-if” in Norman. Even if he returns, there will be skepticism about whether he’s truly healthy.
Mateer doesn’t have any eligibility left, so what we see this year is what we’ll get.
Dinich makes it sound like two losses may be forgivable to the CFP committee. But Sooner fans will always wonder what could’ve been if the team doesn’t win it all. Mateer was that good before the injury.