Brent Venables' turnaround with OU football fueled by power of belief

OU coach Brent Venables orchestrated one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football this season. Hear from those closest to him.

Oklahoma has flirted with disaster all season. Is the magic running out, or only beginning?

Of the four teams hosting games in the first round of this College Football Playoff, only one opened as a betting underdog: the Oklahoma Sooners, who on Friday night host an Alabama team they already defeated this season. The Sooners are well aware of that.

Oklahoma’s Venables, Alabama’s DeBoer overcome critics, lead blue blood programs to the playoff

Oklahoma’s Brent Venables and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer have lived under intense microscopes at blue blood programs. Both replaced highly

From Bob Stoops to Ben Arbuckle, Oklahoma's Brent Venables has grown into his own man as a coach

Venables has Stoops, Bill Snyder, Dabo Swinney and others in his DNA, but he'll be himself when the Sooners take on Alabama in the College Football Playoff.

What channel is Oklahoma vs Alabama on today? Time, TV schedule to watch CFP game

Oklahoma and Alabama are familiar with each other, as they're about to face off for the third time in just over a calendar year. Venables' defense has given Kalen DeBoer fits, though, and Oklahoma's first-ever CFP game at home is the difference in the low-scoring affair.

Brent Venables’ aggressive defense gives Oklahoma a different look than past Sooners playoff teams

Brent Venables has transformed the Oklahoma Sooners into a defensive powerhouse. The eighth-ranked Sooners lead the nation in tackles for loss and are tied for the lead in sacks.

Casagrande: What’s really at stake for Alabama in Oklahoma rematch

Obviously, yes, but consider the layers to the situation Alabama faces Friday night at the Palace on the Prairie. The College Football Playoff first-round meeting with Oklahoma, to be clear, isn’t win-or-the-trash bin for Kalen DeBoer.