Oklahoma Sooners Unofficial 40

It's Tuesday, but since the Sooners play on Friday, we're treating this like a Wednesday. And we have to get Eddie in the mood because he just wants the game to be here. Like we all do. We're talking about the matchup but we've also done most of the media stuff this week. So we have plenty to talk about. It's a challenge for both teams to have a rematch. But does OU having the best defense give them the edge? We all agree John Mateer and the OU offense has to be better. We got to see a little bit of practice yesterday. What do we think about guys like R Mason Thomas and Jake Maikkula after seeing them out there? Bedlam basketball was very good to the men and the women. We have a little hoops talk for you as well. Josh gives a preview of what to expect at some of the All-American games coming up early next month as well. It's a big one in Norman Friday night. One of the biggest ever. THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! It’s game week in Norman, USA. OU-Bama. Friday Night Lights.  42:00 - Do we really know what this atmosphere is going to be like Friday night?  48:00 - George is writing a HIT piece. Just kidding, you’re going to want to read it!  55:00 - Recruiting Check-In 1:00:00 - Hoops 1:19:00 - QB Portal crazy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's just Wednesday. The Sooners are still 9 days away from their first round matchup with Alabama in Norman. The All-SEC teams were announced yesterday and OU had 10 players represented. They also had the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, Tate Sandell, announced during the show. We gush about Sandell but we had to stop. No jinxes needed here. But we're ready to see what this grimey Sooners team can do in a playoff full of great teams. Our question is this? Who has really been through the mud this season like Oklahoma? Or Georgia? Or even Alabama? Has Texas Tech been through the mud and had to have people question their offense like some of the teams in the SEC? Yes, we're officially SEC homers now. Josh is here to talk about another huge 2027 commitment, we mix in some hoops talk and George has his rants on Notre Dame and the CFP committee. Notre Dame... Leave Ivan Maisel alone! THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Oklahoma will participate in the College Football Playoffs!  23:00 - 2027 Elija Harmon commits to Oklahoma; class of 2027 could be special 30:00 - Sooners found an identity  54:00 - 10 Sooners on the All-SEC Team 1:01:00 - Hoops  1:10:00 - George’s rant about the CFP Committee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Nagy and Brent Venables put together their first full recruiting class together in the 2026 cycle. How do we feel the partnership is going after listening to both of them talk about the class on National Signing Day? And what about the standouts in this class? Josh McCuistion thinks he can make an argument that the offensive side of the ball has more talent than the defensive side of the ball. And what about the ones that got away? And the ones, like Jonathan Hatton, that didn't? We also hit on some College Football Playoff talk and a little bit of hoops. Always a big show week when it's signing day! THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Sooners wrap up NSD with 24 signees  10:00 - Did OU quietly sign good RB and TE classes? George thinks so! 17:00 - DE group is impressive  21:00 - What did OU do to flip Jonathan Hatton?  29:00 - The program is in a better place than it was 365 days ago  48:00 - How close did OU get to flipping Frisco Lone Star WR Davian Groce?  53:00 - CFP theories  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's one of the biggest games anyone has seen in Norman in a long time. OU is one win away from heading to the College Football Playoff. Speaking of that, there are a couple of teams that could really blow this thing all up if things fall the right way. We discuss OU's position in the playoff race. Are the Sooners destined to play Notre Dame in Norman? It's also going to be a MASSIVE recruiting weekend for the Sooners. A commitment happened just after we stopped taping actually. Josh with more on the big names in town. It also seems to be a weekly tradition now. We pick a room on the offensive side of the ball and just tear it to shreds. This week, it's the wide receiver room. We pour one out for the death of the green bean casserole. John Mateer may have killed it in Oklahoma. Keep Eddie away from him during pregame warmups. He isn't taking this well. THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Thanksgiving + OU chance to clinch in Norman. What. A. Week.  5:30 - CFP Committee did it again. Confusing everyone. Eddie thinks Heather Dinich is the star of the show.  18:00 - Why does John Mateer hate GBC 20:55 - OU offensive identity heading into the final week of the regular season 29:29 - Little 2027 QB Peyton Houston talk  32:00 - Role reversal for OU/LSU this season 42:00 - Fixing the offense — Deep dive 50:00 - Who will be back-up Cheetah on Saturday with Reggie Powers out for the first half?  53:00 - Recruiting - Sooners flip Jonathan Hatton  1:18:00 - George is ready to attack his neighbor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oklahoma is currently ranked No. 8 in the College Football Playoff Rankings. That means that as long as OU wins out, they should be good for inclusion in the playoff. It also means they are in the running for a first-round home game. Carey, Josh, Eddie and George talk about the playoff hunt and more importantly, Missouri. The Tigers head into Norman trying to play the spoiler role. And there is an issue. The Oklahoma running back room has few available bodies with Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock all banged up right now. How did this happen? We also take a deep dive into the play of John Mateer. What do we attribute his struggles to? And is he for sure the guy next year for the Sooners? What role does Ben Arbuckle play in all of this? Next we talk recruiting and the impact this season is having on potential recruits. New commitment is in! It's another edition of the Unofficial 40 podcast. THE FULL RUNDOWN FOLLOWS BELOW: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Unofficial 40! Sooners No.8 in CFP rankings. OU controls its own destiny in terms of making the Tournament … but is it that easy to host?  7:00 - OU/Oregon resume comparison 18:00 - OU RB room?  25:00 - OU/Missouri  48:00- Mateer vs. DG52:00 - Mateer still the future?1:01:00 - Brent as a head coach1:05:00  - Ben Arbuckle1:08:00 - Recruiting. New commitment, CB recruiting1:10 :00 - future of portal1:20:00 - Coaching openings1:24:00 - Recruit excitement around OU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices