WHAT IS UP SOONER NATION… I AM CASEY MALLON, AND YOU ARE NOW IN A SOONER STATE OF MIND!

This Saturday at 3 PM PST, the wait is finally over as the #18 Oklahoma Sooners open the 2025 season at Gaylord Family–Oklahoma Memorial Stadium against the Illinois State Redbirds. Vegas has OU as 35.5-point favorites, and I’ll tell you why I’m still taking the points.

We’ll break down everything you need to know:

Illinois State Preview – Head coach Brock Spack’s 10-win Redbirds return QB Tommy Rittenhouse, RB Wenkers Wright, and WR Daniel Sobkowicz after a deep FCS playoff run. Ranked No. 6 nationally, ISU brings confidence but faces an uphill climb.

Oklahoma Depth Chart Surprises – Courtland Guillory and Jacobe Johnson emerge as starters at corner alongside Gentry Williams, with Brent Venables promising another leap forward for his defense.

John Mateer’s Debut – The new QB1 brings over 3,100 passing yards and 29 TDs from Washington State, plus 800+ rushing yards. Can he elevate OU’s receivers and run game in Year 1?

Defensive Expectations – Venables’ defense is set to dominate third downs, stop the run, and bring the heat. This unit could be OU’s biggest weapon.

Recruiting Win – Three-star DL T-Ron Richardson commits to the Sooners over Penn State, Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Syracuse, continuing OU’s defensive line reload.

And it’s not just OU Football this week—College Football fans are eating:

No. 1 Texas vs No. 3 Ohio State – A playoff rematch with Arch Manning and Julian Sayin in the spotlight.

No. 4 Clemson vs No. 9 LSU – The Bayou Bengals haven’t won an opener since 2019. Can Brian Kelly flip the script?

No. 6 Notre Dame vs No. 10 Miami – “Catholics vs Convicts” renewed with freshman QB CJ Carr leading the Irish against transfer Carson Beck and a fierce Canes defense.

Plus, the end of an era: Lee Corso’s final College GameDay episode.

Sooner Nation, it’s time—football is BACK. Subscribe to Sooner State of Mind on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and Amazon Music, and watch on YouTube with The Football Dudes.

I’m Casey Mallon, and I’m in a SOONER STATE OF MIND.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.