Oklahoma already got Michigan once. Now the Sooners have to walk into the Big House and do it again — a building no OU team has ever set foot in for a game.
Bush’s Picks
OUMICH
OUMICH
OverUnder
Best BetOklahoma
Oklahoma gets the nod here on the strength of experience: Mateer is healthy and rebuilding a cleaner throwing motion, and Venables' defense — even after losing key pieces — was elite enough in 2025 to carry a 10-3 team to the Playoff. Michigan's roster has talent, but asking a first-year staff and a still-developing sophomore quarterback to beat a proven Big 12 contender is a tall early-season order. Take the more established program to win outright.
Oklahoma
+Mateer healthy, ditching the sidearm workaround
+Venables' D ranked top-10 in total defense in 2025
+Beat Michigan 24-13 in last year's meeting
−Lost first-round Playoff game to Alabama
−Defense losing several key starters to the portal/graduation
−First-ever trip into a hostile Big House
Michigan
+Hosting OU for the first time ever at the Big House
+Underwood entering year 2 with more focused prep
+Proven program-builder in Whittingham leading a fresh start
−Brand-new staff installing its scheme fast
−Underwood's freshman year fell short of the hype (61.1%, 9 TD/6 INT)
−Coaching transition drama (Moore's firing) disrupted the offseason
This is only the third all-time meeting between these two programs, and the first two were seismic: a 1976 Orange Bowl for a national title, then last September's 24-13 Oklahoma win in Norman. Now the series flips to Ann Arbor, and both sidelines look different than they did a year ago. John Mateer is back under center for the Sooners after a thumb injury forced him into an awkward sidearm delivery for most of 2025 — he spent the offseason relearning his old throwing motion with help from former OU quarterback Sam Bradford. Across the field, Bryce Underwood enters year 2 as QB1 under a brand-new head coach after Michigan fired Sherrone Moore and hired longtime Utah boss Kyle Whittingham to a five-year deal in December.
Whittingham inherits a talented but unproven quarterback — Underwood completed 61.1% of his throws for 2,229 yards with 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions as a true freshman, numbers that fell short of the hype attached to a No. 1 overall recruit. He says he's approaching this offseason differently, working with QB consultant Jordan Palmer out in California rather than just grinding more reps. Michigan still finished 9-4 last year after a bowl loss to Texas, so there's a foundation here, but a new staff installing its scheme by September adds real uncertainty to how sharp this team looks that early.
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Oklahoma isn't walking in unscathed either. Brent Venables took over as defensive play-caller in 2025 and built one of the best units in the country — top 10 nationally in yards and points allowed, tied for the sacks lead — but that group loses a wave of experience this offseason, including linebackers Kobie McKinzie and Sammy Omosigho and multiple starters in the secondary. The Sooners still return standouts like David Stone and Peyton Bowen up front and in the back end, and Venables' system has a track record of reloading fast, but this isn't the same defense that helped OU go 10-3 and reach the Playoff a year ago.
Oklahoma Sooners
Sep 4?vs UTEP—
Michigan Wolverines
Sep 5?vs Western Michigan—
Recent form.
Michigan gets a jolt from simply hosting: the Big House hasn't seen Oklahoma in a game before, and an early home environment against a top-10 preseason team is exactly the kind of moment that can galvanize a program mid-transition. Whittingham built Utah into a consistent Big 12/Pac-12 contender over two decades, and a defense-first identity travels well against an Oklahoma offense that's still figuring out its rhythm with Mateer. Whether Underwood's growth shows up against a Venables-coached defense in just his second career test against a ranked opponent is the swing factor for the Wolverines.
Oklahoma Sooners
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Michigan Wolverines
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Both staffs are still finalizing depth charts as fall camp opens, so don't lock in anything about personnel just yet — but the shape of this one is already clear. Oklahoma brings the more proven quarterback and a defense with a track record, even in reload mode. Michigan brings the environment, the season-long stakes of a Whittingham debut, and a former five-star trying to prove last year was just a rookie learning curve.
