When the Oklahoma Sooners lose a game that many fans or national media members thought they should have won, there is an immediate overreaction. That is what has happened after the Sooners fell 17-10 to the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday.
That loss has led some to think Oklahoma's season is over and has even prompted people like Paul Finebaum to question an offseason contract extension for Brent Venables. Oklahoma and Venables agreed to a two-year extension this offseason that goes until 2032. This came after Venables led Oklahoma back to the College Football Playoff.
Finebaum called that extension a terrible decision.
"That story was about Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners," Finebaum said on 'The Matt Barrie Show.' "Matt, about five weeks
ago, I think I was with you on SportsCenter when Oklahoma gave him an extension. For what reason? I do not know. Their AD defended it. What has Brent Venables done?... I think it was a terrible decision to give him a contract extension."
Still, one loss in September should not erase the progress Oklahoma made last season or determine Venables' future by itself. The Sooners made the CFP in 2025, and the 2026 schedule was always going to provide difficult tests with the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns still looming.
That does not simply mean Saturday's loss can simply be dismissed. Oklahoma's offense struggled to consistently move the football against Michigan, and the Sooners now have significantly less margin for error if they want to return to the playoff. But that is different from declaring Venables' tenure a failure or the season over after two games.
Ultimately, Finebaum's criticism puts the spotlight back on the decision Oklahoma made this offseason. The best way for Venables to quiet that conversation will not be through another contract or another explanation; it will be through what the Sooners do on the field when the schedule gets tougher.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Paul Finebaum slams Oklahoma for Brent Venables' contract extension
