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At many universities across the country, football brings thousands of fans to campus each fall, and OU is no exception.

As OU football enters its third year in the Southeastern Conference, here is what you need to know about student tickets, tailgating and all things game day.

Football schedule

This season, OU football will face new conference opponents — some for the first time in years, others for the first time ever. OU football will also face notable nonconference opponents, including 2024 national champion Michigan. OU football will face off against:

Sept. 4: vs. UTEP

Sept. 12: at Michigan

Sept. 19: vs. New Mexico

Sept. 26: at Georgia

Oct. 3: Bye week

Oct. 10: vs. Texas at Cotton Bowl Stadium

Oct. 17: vs. Kentucky

Oct. 24: at Mississippi State

Oct. 31: vs. South Carolina

Nov. 7: at Florida

Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi

Nov. 21: vs. Texas A&M

Nov. 28: at Missouri

This year also marks the beginning of the SEC playing nine conference games as opposed to playing eight, notably eliminating a bye week and introducing permanent opponents for each university. OU’s permanent opponents are Missouri, Texas and Mississippi.

OU football ended its 2025 season with a final record of 10-3, with losses to Texas in the Red River Rivalry, Mississippi and Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The season was also marked by two visits from ESPN’s “College GameDay” and two visits from ESPN’s “SEC Nation.”

The Sooners return quarterback John Mateer, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III and linebacker Kip Lewis, along with several notable starters and transfers for the 2026 season.

Student wristband policy

In 2025, OU athletics announced a new wristband policy for the student section of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

The policy, first implemented for OU’s game against Auburn on Sept. 20, required all students to enter through the south half of Gate 7. Once through the gate, students passed through a metal detector, scanned their ticket and received a wristband.

According to the policy, the wristband was required to be worn at all times once attached and be shown to stadium staff before entering the main bowl of the stadium. To learn more about any changes to policies for the 2026 season, visit the Sooner Sports website.

North Oval

OU fans at the North Oval tailgate on Aug. 30, 2025.

Tailgating

In recent years, OU has made new efforts to increase tailgating opportunities in and around campus.

In 2023, OU announced that tailgating on Lindsey Street between Asp and Jenkins avenues would be permitted. The announcement came one year ahead of OU’s first year in the SEC.

In 2025, OU announced that tailgating on the North Oval would be permitted. The announcement came as OU entered its second year in the SEC in an effort to create tailgating environments similar to other universities in the conference, like “The Grove” in Oxford, Mississippi.

Other notable tailgating locations on campus include the areas near or around North Asp Avenue and Brooks Street, according to the university’s tailgating website.

Note: This post was updated on June 30, 2026, after OU moved the date of the 2026 football season opener to Sept. 4.

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