Brent Venables reveals the keys to success in 'unforgiving' SEC

The additions of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC this year represent two of the biggest brands and rivals across college sports making the strongest conference even stronger. But on the football field, the Sooners are joining the SEC with some levelheadedness under third-year head coach Brent Venables.

Venables has likely been asked on numerous occasions about his team’s preparedness ahead of their SEC schedule. But at SEC Spring Meetings, he was asked if returning members of the conference should instead be getting ready for the Sooners.

“I don’t say it like that, I’ve got respect for the game and respect for what it takes to be successful,” Venables said. “I recognize that the challenge is real, but it’s always winning and being successful and having longevity, consistency, stability, continuity, those are all hard things to hold on to. So this is a league that’s a very unforgiving league.”

Venables understands that nothing is given in the Southeastern Conference and everything is earned. With the small details in the offseason playing an impact on the outcomes of games during the season in what many regard as the most competitive conference in college football. A conference that Venables has been studying since learning about the Sooners transition.

“A lot of games are decided in the fourth quarter, and that’s between the teams that are at the very top of the win-loss column and the teams that are not at the very top. That’s what I’ve seen from studying the last six months,” Venables revealed. “And so whoever those teams are that maybe didn’t have a shiny record at the end of the year, it’s a dogfight week in and week out between them and everybody in the league. That’s what you see.”

“And so the challenge of being efficient and being on the right side of those tight games, that’s exciting to me. That’s a real challenge. I know our players are excited about that, they recognize that Oklahoma doesn’t sneak up on anybody. So we’re not going to surprise anybody.”

Following a six-win season in his first year with Oklahoma, Venables improved the Sooners’ record last season to 10-3 in what now represents the program’s final season in the Big 12. Now presented with the challenge of translating that standard ahead of one of the toughest schedules in the SEC.

But instead of worrying too much about their upcoming opponents during the offseason, Venables will keep his focus on tending his own garden. Making sure his team is firing on all cylinders and as prepared as possible ahead of their inaugural SEC season.

“Again for us man, let’s focus on us … This is an amazing league, one that again, that’s been the gold standard in college football. And so we’re fortunate and thankful to be a part of it now moving forward.”

“We got a lot to learn, a lot to continue to get better at as a program, and all of our systems, and certainly our roster, and as a staff. But our job is to take the roster we have and find a way to to make it be successful right now and to compete at the highest level. And so again, that’s exciting. The challenge of that is incredibly exciting and I know our players are looking forward to,” Venables concluded.

The Sooners open up the season against Temple on August 30, but three weeks later the games truly begin as they host Tennessee on September 21 in their first SEC game of the season and ever as official members of the conference.