Brent Venables is heading into his fourth season at Oklahoma, and you can feel the confidence building around Norman. The Sooners finally look SEC-ready with John Mateer , who Venables calls “as competitive as they come,” now running the offense. When Venables first got there, Oklahoma had maybe “one or two” players weighing 300 pounds. Now? They’ve got multiple rotation-ready defensive linemen and the physical foundation you need when November rolls around. Venables talks about “great excitement on the practice field” and a team culture that’s actually sticking after years of rebuilding.

But every single move Venables makes gets compared to what Lincoln Riley did before him. It’s been that way since day one, and honestly, it’s not really fair when you think

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