A season ago, the Michigan Wolverines trotted into Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for the first time in the school’s illustrious history. Still riding the wave of a national championship just two years prior, the Wolverines were ready for war.
OU came into the game with new faces all across the board. Then-transfer quarterback John Mateer held the keys to the engine, with shiny toys all around him in former wide receiver Deion Burks and then-freshman running back Tory Blaylock. Coming off a 6-7 season, the Sooners were looking to get back on track, and that’s exactly what they did.
As the two blue-blood programs fought, a defensive battle ensued before a 24-13 Sooner victory.
Since then, a lot has changed.
Here are four things that have changed for both programs since that September night in Norman:
OU got back on track
The win that night propelled OU to a 2-0 start that they would use to piggyback into a 10-3 season, with the third loss not coming until December, when they fell to Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Coming off a 6-7 campaign in 2024, many college football fans wondered if OU could compete in the Southeastern Conference. There were questions surrounding head coach Brent Venables, and after a poor offensive performance the year before, many wondered if the offense would ever look like the Sooners of the 2010s again.
Though the offense in 2025 may not have reached heights of the Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray days, they improved. Following the Michigan victory, now-fifth-year quarterback John Mateer’s Heisman odds jumped through the roof.
A thumb injury suffered in Week 4 against Auburn would eventually derail Mateer’s chances for the prestigious trophy — an injury that temporarily halted the Sooners’ success.
The season marched on, and the Sooners found themselves sitting at 6-2 with four games left. Likely having to win each to make the CFP, the Sooners still had to travel on the road to Tennessee and Alabama.
Sooner magic was alive
Entering Knoxville, Tennessee, with the Volunteers and nearly the entire crowd decked out in “blackout” jerseys and shirts, the Sooners looked to rebound after a loss to Mississippi.
Former Sooner and current Kansas City defensive lineman R Mason Thomas got the party going for OU, recovering a fumble forced by Owen Heinecke to swing momentum the Sooners’ way. They never lost momentum, as OU went on to win the game 33-27.
OU took that lightning in a bottle into Tuscaloosa, where it faced Alabama. It was a back-and-forth affair, but an early pick-six by cornerback Eli Bowen helped guide the Sooners to victory.
With back-to-back wins over top-15 opponents, the College Football Playoff committee took notice, bumping OU into playoff position. Sooner Magic was alive and well.
When the playoffs arrived, a familiar opponent came waltzing into Owen Field with revenge on its mind. This time, the Crimson Tide came out victorious.
The loss dropped the Sooners to 0-5 in CFP games, and now, OU is working to get back to where it was a year ago — only this time, hoping to write a different ending.
The Underwood era began
The Wolverines, led by first-year quarterback Bryce Underwood, were expected to be in a rebuilding stage, and despite finishing 9-4 on the season, Underwood and Co. lost to every ranked team on their schedule.
Underwood, a former five-star recruit, was originally committed to play for LSU under Brian Kelly. After some movement and struggles with the Tigers, however, he flipped his commitment to Michigan and elected to stay home.
As a true freshman, Underwood threw for 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns. The season left some Michigan fans wanting more from the nation’s former No. 1 recruit.
With a year under his belt and a completely new offensive system around him, Underwood looks to make a second-year leap.
However, against Western Michigan, in his first game of 2026, he threw for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The touchdown came on the final play of the game in a controversial ending.
Underwood will seek revenge against the Sooners this weekend after completing just nine passes in the loss a year ago
Coaching change in Ann Arbor
One of the biggest headlines of the offseason was the dismissal of Michigan head coach and former OU offensive lineman Sherrone Moore. According to reports, Michigan fired Moore for cause in December 2025 after a university investigation found evidence that he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Following his dismissal, Moore was arrested and initially charged with felony third-degree home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and misdemeanor breaking and entering or entering without breaking. Those charges were later dismissed as part of a plea agreement in which Moore pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device.
Moore was sentenced to 18 months of probation and received no additional jail time.
With Moore out, Michigan began its search for a new head coach.
Former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham stepped in, after leading the Utes for over 20 years, compiling a 177-88 record. The Wolverines pulled the trigger on Whittingham, hoping his experience and stability could provide some consistency after a few shaky seasons following their 2023 national championship.
Whittingham begins his Michigan career with a major test following a miraculous Week 1 victory.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
