Brent Venables heard all the noise in 2025. He knew he was up against it following his second 6-7 season in only three seasons as head coach at Oklahoma.From the Michigan game on, every week was a prove-it opportunity for Venables. For the most part, that's exactly what the man did. Venables and the Sooners deserve praise for their College Football Playoff season. Yet, there are still boxes left unchecked. In addition to Oklahoma's ultimate goal — winning a national championship — here are some other mountains that the Sooners can climb in order to show that Venables is indeed the man for the future.Show Growth on OffenseOklahoma Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Ben Arbuckle is pictured during the University of Oklahoma Sooners Crimson Combine at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, April, 12, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectWhat is Venables' offensive philosophy? Most would agree an air raid-based attack due to the hiring of Ben Arbuckle, Venables' past with Jeff Lebby and the time he spent in Norman under Bob Stoops. But Lebby was a proven commodity as a playcaller in the coaching circles. His appointment also had at least some to do with Oklahoma's desire to quickly bridge the Lincoln Riley era to Venables while providing their new head coach a soft landing spot on the coaching staff.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.The promotion of Seth Littrell was an utter disaster. Venables said as much.Now, Arbuckle is entering his second season after a lackluster debut in Norman. Much of that had to do with John Mateer's broken hand, but in order for the Sooners to take another step, they need the offense to make a leap.Venables has built his defense into an elite unit, recognized far and wide. His offenses had had success with Lebby, but there's been little else to show that Venables can lead a program that can do it at a high level on both sides of the ball. 2025 provided glimpses, but little consistency. 2026 needs to be the start of others recognizing that Venables can oversee an offense that demands attention and respect.Beat TexasOct 8, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables shakes hands with Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian after the game at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports22 Oklahoma coaches have gone against the Texas Longhorns. Of those 22, seven coaches hold a record of .500 or better against the burnt orange, with one — Howard Schnellenberger — tying his only matchup with Texas.CoachFirst Five Years vs. TexasOverall Record vs. TexasBennie Owen2-38-8Tom Stidham2-1-12-1-1Bud Wilkinson3-29-8Jim Mackenzie1-01-0Barry Switzer3-1-19-5-2Bob Stoops4-111-7Lincoln Riley4-15-1All but two of those seven — Tom Stidham and Jim Mackenzie — coached in more than four games against the Longhorns.Venables enters his fifth season as head coach with a 1-3 record in the Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma’s standard is to chase championships, not merely beat Texas, but given the Sooners’ struggles against the Longhorns since 2022, falling to 1-4 would make it hard for Venables to ignore further criticism.It would also put him in the company of two very polarizing coaching comparisons. Chuck Fairbanks and Gary Gibbs went 1-4 in their first five games against the Longhorns. Fairbanks is credited with leading the Sooners back to prominence from the rut the program found itself in during the 1960s, but his early teams struggled with the powerhouse Longhorns under Darrell Royal. He won the final two matchups in the Cotton Bowl before he left for the NFL at the end of the 1972 season to bring his record to 2-4. Oklahoma Sooners head coach Chuck Fairbanks (center) on the sidelines. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectGibbs' teams struggled in the wake of Switzer's resignation and the program enduring NCAA punishments. The Red River Rivalry served as a yearly reminder that while Gibbs was the man for the time, he was not the man for the future. Only one win in six tries amplified the criticism.Venables' next game against Texas will likely see two teams fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. In today's college football, there's more to play for than your heated annual rivalry game. You can afford a loss or two.But what Venables cannot afford is to drop to 1-4 against the Longhorns — let alone in the manner that his teams have performed for the most part in the game.Win a Playoff GameOklahoma coach Brent Venables, right, talks with Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer before a first-round College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe dynamics have changed in the College Football Playoff era — going from a four-team invitational to a 12-team tournament. As such, it's difficult to make comparisons from the four-team period to the 12-team period due to more matchups.That hasn't stopped the critics from reminding the Sooners that they have yet to win a playoff game despite their numerous appearances since 2015. Last year's loss to Alabama, where OU blew a 17-point lead at home, made the criticisms louder.Every season is different. 2025's appearance in the playoff was applauded due to the November run Venables navigated Oklahoma through while overcoming an awful debut in the SEC the year prior.But in 2026, with arguably a much tougher schedule, simply making an appearance won't be enough. Oklahoma needs to get the playoff monkey off its back, and Venables needs to show that he is the man to do it. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow