The absurd acquisition of Brent Venables means Oklahoma will likely be stuck with him for a while

Oklahoma's transition to the SEC has been less than stellar, to say the least.

The Sooners are off to a 4-2 (1-2 SEC) start to Week 8 while resolving numerous issues with their offense in real time. After wins against Temple, Houston and Tulane earlier in the year, OU missed its SEC debut against Tennessee, struggled with a win at Auburn and then was knocked out of the Red River Rivalry game against Texas.

The bad mood grew worse Saturday as the Sooners fell behind 21-0 at home against South Carolina before taking a 32-3 lead into halftime. Even though head coach Brent Venables is in the crucial third year of his contract at Oklahoma — and despite the fact that he has yet to win a bowl game at OU — he likely isn't in the hot seat just yet.

There is a very simple reason for this. According to USA TODAY Sports' database of college football coaching salaries, it would cost Oklahoma $44.8 million to get out of Venables' contract starting in December 2024. It is the 10th-largest acquisition among FBS head coaches.

The Sooners would then have spent millions more hiring a replacement player.

It's a difficult situation during Oklahoma's transition to the SEC — especially with rival Texas remaining undefeated and the No. 1 team in the country after taking over from the Big 12 with the Sooners — but Norman won't be a quick fix find.

Oklahoma probably has no choice but to trust (read: hope) that Venables can fix the problem himself.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Brent Venables' absurd acquisition means Oklahoma is likely stuck with him for a while