ESPN names one lingering question for Oklahoma entering 2026
By Ethan Stone
Published:
The long national nightmare is almost over. College football is just 6 weeks away, and we’re counting down the days with anticipation.
As is ESPN. Last month, ESPN revealed its preseason list of the top 25 teams in college football heading into the new season. And earlier this week, as we covered a few times with Georgia, Texas and Texas A&M yesterday, ESPN revealed one lingering question for each of their top 25 teams.
Here’s the question ESPN posed for Oklahoma: Can John Mateer recapture his pre-injury magic?
Mateer wasn’t quite the same quarterback he was before suffering a hand injury early against Auburn, which severely limited the mobility that made him so exciting in the first place. He became slightly less effective as a rusher and considerably less effective as a passer, seeing his QBR drop to 60.5 across his final 8 games, starting with a brutal return matchup against Texas in Dallas.
That Texas game was the beginning of the end of Mateer’s season. He threw 3 interceptions and completed just 52% of his passes in a 23-6 loss to the Sooners’ rival, then went on to throw 5 more picks across the remainder of the season while taking 21 sacks across his final 8 appearances — compared to 4 sacks across his first 4. All in all, Mateer finished the year with 14 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.
Now, though, Mateer has had an entire offseason to rehab his injury. The Sooners QB is set to make another run at the Heisman Trophy after receiving buzz for the prestigious award to start his first year at OU. Brent Venables’ Sooners defense is always going to be a stout unit, but the Sooners simply have to get the offense going if he is going to accomplish anything in Norman.
Mateer and the Sooners begin their 2026 campaign on September 4 against UTEP.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
