Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Team That Was a 'Colossal Disappointment'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jan 27, 2025 8:30 PM ET

The 2024 college football season was disappointing for several teams. Some were looking to build on strong performances from the 2023 season while others aimed to make a positive impression in their new conference.

One team with high hopes was the Oklahoma Sooners, eager to improve on their previous season and establish themselves in the SEC after dominating the Big 12 for about two decades. The Sooners won the Big 12 Conference 14 times while the next-closest team (Texas) won it only four times.

After finishing 10-3 in Year 2 under head coach Brent Venables, the Sooners sought to build on that success in the SEC. However, the season did not go as planned and Oklahoma ended with a record of 6-7, marking the second time in Venables' three-year tenure that the team finished below .500.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum stated that this upcoming season will be significant for the Sooners.

"The program is facing a critical year," Finebaum said. "I think anyone who follows OU knows that. You can't waste time in college football, and this year was clearly a colossal disappointment. Even with the Alabama win."

The Sooners had not experienced a losing season since 1998 until Venables became head coach in 2022. A significant factor in the Sooners' disappointing performance was their offense. They finished ranked No. 126 in total offense, No. 121 in passing offense, No. 83 in rushing offense and No. 110 in scoring offense.

As a result of this struggling performance, offensive coordinator Seth Littrell was released just past the midway point of his first season. He had taken over for Jeff Lebby, who became the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs after leading Oklahoma to the No. 3 ranked offense in 2023.

The Sooners have since replaced Littrell with Ben Arbuckle, the former offensive coordinator for the Washington State Cougars. At only 29 years old, Arbuckle is recognized as one of the most promising young offensive minds in football. He guided Washington State to achieve the following rankings: No. 28 in total offense, No. 23 in passing offense, No. 61 in rushing offense and No. 15 in scoring offense.

Arbuckle is bringing along his quarterback, John Mateer. Mateer had an outstanding first season as the starter at WSU, throwing for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. However, his most impressive attribute might be his mobility; he also rushed for 826 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. This performance positioned him as the second-ranked player in the transfer portal, per 247Sports, behind only former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck.

Finebaum has previously stated that Venables "can't survive another bad year," so Arbuckle and Mateer will aim to revitalize the offense and restore Oklahoma to its former glory.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: