Sept. 4 vs. UTEP
The Sooners open the 2026 season against the UTEP Miners, marking the first meeting between the programs since a 45-13 OU victory in 2022. OU has won all five matchups against UTEP since 2000 and will look to continue that streak.
The season opener was moved to Friday night, giving Sooner fans a head start on the college football weekend. Redshirt senior quarterback John Mateer enters the year looking to pick up where he left off early last season, when he emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender before a broken thumb derailed his efforts.
Sept. 12 at Michigan
OU heads to Ann Arbor in Week 2 for one of its most anticipated nonconference games of the season, renewing a rivalry between two of college football's most storied programs.
OU defeated Michigan 24-13 in Norman last season behind a dominant defensive performance that held Michigan’s freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood to 142 passing yards on nine completions. This year's rematch brings new storylines for both programs, including the Wolverines' first marquee test under new head coach Kyle Whittingham. While much of the attention will center on the quarterbacks, this game could ultimately be decided in the trenches. OU returns one of the SEC's top defensive units after leading the conference in total defense a season ago, while Michigan will once again lean on its physical style of play under Whittingham.
With programs built around defense and line play, Week 2 could provide an early measuring stick for both teams' College Football Playoff aspirations.
Sept. 19 vs. New Mexico
Week 3 features a unique matchup as New Mexico visits Norman for the first time since 1935, when the Sooners earned a 25-0 victory. It will be just the third meeting between the programs in the last century and OU's final nonconference game before SEC play begins.
The Lobos enter 2026 after a 6-2 campaign in the Mountain West Conference and a 9-4 overall record, but the team will need to improve defensively after surrendering an average of 22.3 points per game last season. OU will look to capitalize before the schedule becomes significantly more challenging.
Sept. 26 at Georgia
Few games on the 2026 schedule carry more anticipation than OU's trip to Athens to face Georgia. It will be the programs' first meeting since the 2018 Rose Bowl, when the Bulldogs beat the Sooners 54-48 in double overtime to advance to the national championship game.
While that matchup became an offensive classic, this year's meeting is projected to be different. With OU head coach Brent Venables and Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart leading two of the nation's premier defensive programs, points could be at a premium. OU finished first in the SEC in total defense last season, with Georgia close behind in second.
Oct. 10 vs. Texas in Dallas
Coming off back-to-back Red River Rivalry losses and having been outscored 136-43 over the last four meetings, the Sooners will look to get back in the win column against the Longhorns. OU is 1-3 against Texas under Brent Venables, and injuries have played a significant role in the rivalry during his tenure.
Last season, Mateer returned for his first game since breaking his thumb, throwing for 202 yards while tossing three interceptions. In the 49-0 loss in 2022, former OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel was ruled out with a concussion just minutes before kickoff, forcing the Sooners to rely on tight end Brayden Willis to take snaps in a makeshift offense.
Texas, meanwhile, returns one of the nation's most talented rosters, led by redshirt junior quarterback Arch Manning.
The Longhorns also landed what ESPN ranked as the nation's No. 3 transfer portal class, headlined by former Auburn five-star wide receiver Cam Coleman. The class also features former Oklahoma running back Hollywood Smothers, who spent time at North Carolina State after leaving Norman before transferring to Texas.
Riding a two-game losing streak in the rivalry, OU will be looking to reverse the trend against its biggest rival.
Oct. 17 vs. Kentucky
The Sooners will face Kentucky for the first time since 1982, when OU earned a 29-8 victory in Lexington. OU leads the all-time series 2-1 and will meet the Wildcats for the first time as SEC opponents.
Kentucky enters 2026 under first-year head coach and former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, whose high-powered offenses helped the Ducks rank second in the Big Ten last season. Redshirt junior and Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey is expected to take over at quarterback as Stein looks to reshape the Wildcats' offense.
After a disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2025, Kentucky hopes to take a step forward, but it will be challenged by an OU defense that is projected to once again rank among the nation's elite. The Sooners return one of the SEC's projected top defensive units, anchored by junior defensive lineman David Stone and senior linebacker Kip Lewis.
Oct. 24 at Mississippi State
The seventh game of OU's 2026 campaign sends the Sooners to Starkville for a matchup against Mississippi State, led by third-year head coach and former OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.
Lebby's first year at Mississippi State was a difficult one, as the Bulldogs finished 2-10. Facing growing pressure entering his second season, he guided the program to a 5-8 record against one of the nation's toughest schedules, with several close contests against ranked opponents.
The meeting will mark the first in program history between OU and Mississippi State.
Oct. 31 vs. South Carolina
Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer, a former OU assistant head coach for offense, returns to Norman for the second time since taking over the program. The teams first met in 2024, when South Carolina earned a 35-9 road victory. OU responded the following season by traveling to Columbia and tying the series with a 26-7 win at Williams-Brice Stadium.
South Carolina returns redshirt junior quarterback LaNorris Sellers, along with edge rusher Dylan Stewart, a projected first-round selection in the 2027 NFL Draft.
In last season's victory, running back Tory Blaylock powered the Sooners on the ground with 101 rushing yards, and establishing the run could once again be key to the Sooners' success.
Nov. 7 at Florida
For the first time in program history, OU will travel to “The Swamp” to take on Florida.
Although this will be the Sooners' first meeting with the Gators as SEC opponents, the programs have met twice before. Florida defeated OU 24-14 in the 2009 BCS National Championship game before the Sooners earned a measure of revenge in the 2020 Cotton Bowl, routing the Gators 55-20.
Florida enters 2026 under new leadership after hiring former Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. The Gators will also be breaking in a new quarterback following the transfer of former five-star recruit DJ Lagway to Baylor. Redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. and redshirt sophomore Aaron Philo are expected to compete for the starting job throughout fall camp.
Nov. 14 vs. Mississippi
Coming off a season that ended in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Mississippi returns much of its core for a pivotal mid-November showdown in Norman. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, two of Mississippi's most dynamic offensive playmakers, both announced they would return for the season. Mississippi enters 2026 with Pete Golding as head coach after Lane Kiffin's midseason departure.
The Rebels have won all three meetings in the series, dating back to 1999. The team’s two most recent victories came in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Last season, OU wide receiver Isaiah Sategna burst onto the scene with a long touchdown that nearly sparked a Sooner comeback, and with Sategna returning for his redshirt senior campaign, he'll be a player to watch.
Nov. 21 vs. Texas A&M
For the first time since the 2013 Cotton Bowl, when Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel led Texas A&M to a 41-13 victory, the Sooners and the Aggies will meet in Norman. The matchup renews a rivalry that dates back to 1903, with OU holding a 19-12 advantage in the all-time series.
This time, however, both programs enter with new faces and heightened expectations. Texas A&M returns redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed, who elected to forgo the NFL Draft after leading the Aggies on a surprising run to the College Football Playoff under head coach Mike Elko.
OU also exceeded expectations in 2025, closing the regular season with four straight victories to finish 10-2 before falling to Alabama in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. With this matchup serving as the second-to-last game of the regular season, it could carry significant College Football Playoff implications for both teams.
Nov. 28 at Missouri
The Sooners close the 2026 regular season on the road against Missouri, renewing a rivalry that once defined the Big 12 before the Tigers departed for the SEC. Now reunited in the same conference, the annual matchup has taken on new significance.
Much like the previous week's showdown with Texas A&M, this contest could carry major College Football Playoff implications. Missouri is coming off an 8-5 season under head coach Eli Drinkwitz and will be looking to rebound in 2026.
OU holds a commanding 68-25-5 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, the Sooners delivered one of their best defensive performances of the year, defeating the Tigers 17-6 in a victory that vaulted them into the top 10 of the national rankings.
Missouri is expected to be led by former Mississippi quarterback Austin Simmons, who transferred to Columbia in January. Meanwhile, the status of star running back Ahmad Hardy remains uncertain heading into the season after being shot in May.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel. Parker Newman, Larkin Bock and Tori Pham copy edited this story.
