5 Brent Venables replacements Oklahoma has to seriously be considering

Remember that time when the Sooner Schooner flipped over at Owen Field? This is so much worse than that. I didn't think it was possible but this too shall pass. Brent Venables is the most hated man in Oklahoma by replacing Lincoln Riley, who replaced Joe Exotic, who replaced Kevin Durant. No, I am not going back further than a decade to unpack this. The point is Venables is not a good head coach.

He may be a fabulous defensive coordinator, one I would love to be working at my alma mater over the imitation Ben Roethlisberger it has at home roaming their sidelines. With how powerful the Sooners have played in four SEC games up this point, we have to wonder if Venables will even get a second year in OU's new league. He is carrying with him a massive buyout, so there is that as well...

Admittedly, it may be a tad too premature, but Oklahoma cannot accept this as the baseline for the program much longer. This is a top three job in the history of college football. Only Alabama and Ohio State have had a better combination of winning, tradition and resources historically. Of course, this is all changing now that Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC. Surely, this could work out at some point.

Here are five replacements Oklahoma may need to consider replacing Venables with for next season.

5. SMU Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee

It has been obvious for years, but people are just now starting to figure it out. Rhett Lashlee cannot only coach, but he knows offense. He cut his teeth as Gus Malzahn's greatest disciple before really making a name for himself as an offensive coordinator at Miami. He has not only helped SMU go up a level into the Power Four, but he has navigated a quarterback change quite marvelously this season.

When it became apparent that Preston Stone was not going to be the difference maker SMU needed, Lashlee effectively pivoted to Kevin Jennings. SMU has gone from a team trying to find its way in a new league, into being one of the teams contending for a trip to Charlote. The Mustangs may trail Clemson and LSU in that regard in the ACC, but they are just as good as Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

Overall, I think it is a tad too premature for Oklahoma to consider moving on from Venables, especially for a head coach like Lashlee with not a ton of head-coaching experience. In time, I would suspect that Lashlee will leave for a bigger job, but right now, he seems to be in his bag at SMU in Dallas. If Oklahoma does move off Venables, it needs to be for an offensive mind and a savvy play-caller.

At this point, I think half of Boomer Sooner Nation would take the field over Venables moving forward.

4. Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti

Nobody is hotter in college football than Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. Hansel has nothing on him. Coach Cig is changing the game of football in the Hoosier State as much as Peyton Manning did in Indianapolis, but much quicker. I doubted Indiana on Saturday, and I got burned by that. The Hoosiers obliterated Nebraska to get to 7-0. Indiana might be good enough to win the Big Ten, y'all.

As far as a buyout is concerned, it will not cost Oklahoma all that much to get Cignetti to leave Bloomington for Norman. He may be getting up there in age, but Cignetti knows offense, football culture and how to be successful navigating the transfer portal. For as much as OU would need to pay to buy out Venables, they could save some money by giving Cignetti a raise. Would he leave Indiana?

Well, he left IUP for Elon, he left Elon for James Madison, and he left James Madison for Indiana, so there is that. Indiana is historically a basketball school, but one that has been decadent on that front for the better part of the 21st century. He may not be able to microwave it as quickly as he has done at IU, but Oklahoma would not be completely listless offensively if he were to take over for Venables.

Today is a great day to be Coach Cig, as he is about to see his bank account expanded this offseason.

3. Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel

If you can't beat 'em, then I guess you can say you're sorry. It has been a few weeks since the prodigal son returned to Norman. Josh Heupel does not have the best relationship with his alma mater. It may have been for getting fired as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator in favor of Bob Stoops hiring some East Carolina wunderkind named Lincoln Riley. The rest is history, but Oklahoma is not thriving today.

Making amends is part of life, but I think it is going to take more than an apology for Heupel to walk back through that door. He is going to need a pay raise, regardless of what happens for the rest of the season at Tennessee. Honestly, I think it may take a complete regime change for him to come back home. So if Joe Castiglione is out for the bad Venables deal, then let's bring Danny White to Norman!

Admittedly, this would be a lateral move for Heupel coming back to his alma mater in the SEC landscape of things. However, Oklahoma is the better program historically. More importantly, he needs to show that his gimmicky Air Raid off-shoot offense can grow and prosper in the modern era of college football. SEC defenses are starting to figure it out, 2025 may be a good time for a reset...

Going from Tennessee to Oklahoma would give Heupel four years of job security from the very start.

2. Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell

I don't know what is going to happen this season, but Iowa State has had a fantastic head coach for a very long time in Matt Campbell. The Cyclones are among the favorites to win the Big 12 this season and reach the College Football Playoff. He has the right quarterback for him in Rocco Becht, as well as a power void at the top of the league that is ripe for the picking. Will Campbell ever leave Ames?

In my estimation, the perfect job needs to open up. As with Josh Heupel at Tennessee, I think Campbell is only going to leave if he can bring his great athletic director in Jamie Pollard with him. Initially, I thought the place for Campbell would be Michigan should Sherrone Moore and Warde Manuel fail. He feels very midwest to me. However, Oklahoma is different, and this could be in play.

Campbell may be a defensive-minded head coach, but he has a good sense of what dynamic offensive players look like. Brock Purdy and Breece Hall are turning heads on Sundays after starring for the Clones. Becht could be an NFL quarterback and Carson Hansen lives to run over people in the Iowa State backfield. In a way, Campbell fits the ethos of being the tough coach Oklahoma needs.

Eventually, Campbell is going to leave, but we have to wonder if Oklahoma is the exit point for him.

1. Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin

It sounds crazy, but I would be all about this. While the Ole Miss Rebels are safe this week from College Football Playoff elimination, as they are on a bye, they cannot afford another loss this season. Whether it is to Georgia or anyone else, it does not really matter. The Rebels need to finish the year at 10-2 (6-2) to have any semi-realistic shot of getting in. There is also a chance that Lane Kiffin leaves...

Yes, the Ole Lane Train may be leaving the station soon. He nearly left Oxford after two years to replace Bryan Harsin at Auburn. While he was not much of a candidate to replace his former mentor Nick Saban at Alabama, he has built Ole Miss up from a borderline bowl team in the SEC into a program that regularly goes to New Year's Six bowls. They may just not make the playoff this season...

Since Florida could be looking to move on from its head coach as well, if Venables is no longer the answer in Norman, I may try to beat the Gators at their own game and land potentially the best coach on the market. Kiffin's unique personality, fun offensive flair and recruiting chops, especially in the portal, could help the Sooners get back to be playoff-caliber in the matter of months. Think about it.

Oklahoma is a much easier fix long-term than Florida, so all things equal, you must take that job first.