Joel Klatt labels Oklahoma a ‘pretender’ for the College Football Playoff
By Jyesha Nance
Published:
The Oklahoma Sooners seem to be one of the most surprising teams in college football since the beginning of the 2025 season. Transfer quarterback John Mateer had been playing lights out and currently leads the SEC in passing yards with 1,215.
Unfortunately, Mateer suffered a right-hand injury in Week 4 against the Auburn Tigers. Mateer underwent surgery on Wednesday according to ESPN and will be out for possibly 3 or more weeks with the hope to return this season.
With Mateer out, backup quarterback Michael Hawkins will take over in his absence, but some may not be buying that Hawkins and the Sooners can get the job done without Mateer. During Wednesday’s edition of “Contender or Pretender” presented by FOX Sports, Joel Klatt called the Sooners “pretenders.”
“They’re not going to win without John Mateer, and the back end of their schedule is atrocious. I could see them losing 3-4 games,” said Klatt.
The No. 7 Sooners will not have an easy road with their star quarterback absent. The remainder of their schedule features 6 ranked opponents out of the remaining 8, and they will be on the road for 3 of those ranked matchups.
