Why a major College Football pundit just compared Oklahoma to Michigan, Texas Tech, and Alabama

The Oklahoma Sooners are what Josh Pate calls “properly rated” after the conclusion of spring practice. OU is also in a group Pate feels is highly flawed, but has buzz ahead of the 2026 College Football season to compete with, but perhaps fall short of, the creme de la creme.

Pate believes the Sooners are in company with the Michigan Wolverines, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Alabama Crimson Tide, telling the crew at “Crain & Cone”, "I think they're properly rated. They're kind of in the neighborhood of Michigan, Texas Tech (and) Alabama, like those kinds of teams, I think that's proper. I think their question marks may be a little bigger, and they're one of those teams that couldn't run the ball last year."

Of note, Oklahoma travels to the Big House in Ann Arbor to battle Michigan in Week 2 in a return game of last year’s matchup in Norman. That was the first of a home-and-home series that the Sooners won 24-13 last September. Brent Venables’ squad will get to definitively leapfrog the Wolverines, who will have a new head coach this time in long-time former Utah Utes headman Kyle Whittingham.

There will be no rematch with the Crimson Tide, with whom the Sooners are 2-1 in their last three matchups over the past two seasons, and were bumped from the CFP by, or any matchups with the former Big 12 rival Red Raiders.

Still, there will be major prove-it games for Venables and Co., none more important than their primary blood rival.

Red River Rivalry vs Texas could determine Brent Venables’ future in Oklahoma

It’s been said that if Oklahoma can’t end a two-game losing slide to the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry and can’t otherwise make the CFP and win at least a game or two, that Venables’ time in the Sooner State may be running out.

OU has been a major spender for many years in NIL/rev-share, but particularly so in the past two recruiting cycles. Signing star Washington State Cougars transfer quarterback John Mateer and importing his play-caller, Ben Arbuckle, was supposed to dramatically move the needle forward for the Sooners.

If they can’t aid what was admittedly a strong defensive effort from Venables and Co. in 2026, big changes are almost assuredly coming to Oklahoma. No game represents a bigger inflection point than the Red River Rivalry, since Texas is the kind of team that Pate not-so-subtly hinted is ahead of the Sooners, Wolverines, Red Raiders, and Crimson Tide.