Following one season as co-offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky, where he developed quarterback Austin Reed, Washington State took a chance on a 27-year-old Arbuckle, then the youngest primary coordinator in the country. In two seasons with the Cougars, he tutored future No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and current OU quarterback John Mateer.

Venables proved just two years ago that he can clear 6.5 wins and do so by a wide margin. That was in the Big 12, though. Pulling the program out of the muck is far more challenging in the SEC than it would have been in the pre-conference realignment era.

OU football coach Brent Venables addressed Joe Castiglione's upcoming retirement publicly for the first time Wednesday. Castiglione said the announcement was "bittersweet."