The Big 12’s Official Twitter Account Dunks on OU Coach Brent Venables

While trying to make a point about the SEC’s depth, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables placed himself directly under a Big 12 basketball hoop, and the conference dunked on him without hesitation.

The Sooners are coming off a 23-6 loss in the Red River Shootout, marking the third time in four seasons OU has failed to score a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl. Now all but one of OU’s final six opponents are currently ranked.

“This isn’t the old Big 12 days where Oklahoma destroys everybody every single week except for one game a year,” Venables said Tuesday. “I’m not saying that in any other way other than, man, every week, man, there’s big, long, fast, explosive dudes, great staffs, really good quarterback play, tremendous lines of scrimmage, things of that nature.”

The Big 12 took that personally.

“Coach Venables lost eight Conference games in his two seasons in the Big 12,” the league tweeted.

Coach Venables lost eight Conference games in his two seasons in the Big 12 https://t.co/O4eLzaJ3lo

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 14, 2025

Venables’ first year at OU saw the Sooners go 6-7 overall and 3-6 in Big 12 play, dropping games to Kansas State, TCU (by 31), Texas (by 49), Baylor, West Virginia and Texas Tech.

Things undoubtedly went better in Year 2, with OU going 10-3, but the Sooners’ 7-2 Big 12 record wasn’t enough to get to Arlington, with losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State (soon-to-be Big 12 squad Arizona beat OU 38-24 in the Alamo Bowl that year, too).

I get what Venables was trying to say, as there probably aren’t many this season who would question the SEC’s depth, but that particular manner of going about it maybe should’ve been left to any other coach in OU’s history.