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By Reice Shipley
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Oklahoma Sooners underperformed greatly in their Week 2 upset loss to the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. As a result, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables finds himself as the target of significant criticism from college football pundit Paul Finebaum.
Oklahoma struggled to mount any positive momentum on the offensive side of the ball on Saturday, putting up just ten points to a Michigan team that nearly fell to Western Michigan in their season opening matchup.
Despite reaching the CFP last season for the first time in Venables' tenure in Norman, Saturday's loss to Michigan has Paul Finebaum seriously questioning whether Oklahoma made a mistake giving Venables a six-year contract extension heading into the 2026 season.
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"Matt, about five weeks ago, I think I was with you on SportsCenter when Oklahoma gave him an extension," said Finebaum during an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show. "For what reason, I do not know. Their AD defended it as if what has Brent Venables done? ‘And well, he went to the playoffs last year,' yet been choked away, a 17-point lead. He’s beaten Texas once out of four times. That’s only his biggest rival. ‘He had a really good season last year. He overcame a lot.’ I know what it was.
“You asked me after the first after the AP poll who wouldn’t be ranked in the top 10? I said Oklahoma, and you would have thought I had, you know, said that Oklahoma wasn’t part of the union... And then the next day they give them a contract extension. I think it was a terrible decision to give him a contract extension.”
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Since coming to Oklahoma in 2022, Venables has a 33-21 record, with two seasons under his belt with double digits win. But on the flip side, Venables also has two seasons under his belt where the Sooners finished under .500.
Following Saturday's loss in Ann Arbor to Michigan, Oklahoma will return home in Week 3 to face the New Mexico Lobos in what should be a good opportunity for Venables and company to reset following their Week 2 loss.
However, following this, Oklahoma will face off against the No. 2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Week 4, followed by the annual Red River Rivalry in Week 6 against the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns. So to Finebaum's point, things could certainly go downhill quickly given the difficult matchups quickly approaching on the horizon.
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