Oklahoma's matchup with Michigan looms large again in 2026

The Oklahoma Sooners played well against a tough schedule in 2025, and OU faces another difficult schedule in 2026, especially at the beginning of the season. With three of their first five games coming against Michigan, Georgia, and Texas, some believe that OU could stumble out of the gates and get off to a slow start.

One of the highlights of the 2025 season for the Sooners was the big 24-13 win over the Wolverines in Norman in Week 2 of the season. In a huge non-conference showdown in front of the entire country, OU started upon their path that ultimately led them to the College Football Playoff.

In Round 2, Michigan will be looking for revenge against head coach Brent Venables and Oklahoma. The program has stabilized under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, and returns starting quarterback Bryce Underwood, who is a year older and wiser this time around. Additionally, that game is in Ann Arbor, at UM’s Big House, the largest college football stadium in the world.

Even if the Sooners didn’t have a daunting schedule, the Week 2 date with the Wolverines would still loom large. With the schedule being as tough as it is, it’s even more important that OU go on the road and sweep the home-and-home against Michigan.

CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford identified the most pivotal game of the 2026 season for every Top 25 program heading into the season, and he believes that the Michigan game is the most important one for Oklahoma.

“The Sooners used last season’s win over Michigan in Norman as a catapult into SEC play and were one of four at-large CFP selections from the conference. Another win over Michigan — this time a way-too-early top-10 team — is an incredible early-September matchup with poll bragging rights on the line. It might come in handy on Selection Sunday, too. While this one has no bearing on the conference standings, Oklahoma’s chief goal is getting back to the CFP.” – Brad Crawford, CBS Sports.

Because of the impressive September win over the Wolverines at home last year, the Sooners were able to weather the storm of two SEC losses in the month of October and reach the CFP as an at-large team. That feat would have been trickier if the Michigan game had been replaced with a lesser non-conference opponent. Now, the rematch looms large again for both teams, and Crawford isn’t the only one at CBS Sports that thinks that way.

Cody Nagel identified 2026 non-conference matchups that will impact the race to the playoff, and Oklahoma-Michigan was among the top contenders. With two of college football’s blue-bloods competing on the same field for the second year in a row, it’s one of the highlight games of the year.

“Oklahoma may ultimately need this result more than Michigan given the Sooners’ unforgiving path through the SEC. Oklahoma took the first meeting of the home-and-home series last season in Norman, holding Bryce Underwood to just 9-of-24 passing in the process. But the return trip to Ann Arbor presents a much different challenge. With Kyle Whittingham now in charge at Michigan and new offensive coordinator Jason Beck tasked with unlocking Bryce Underwood’s full potential, the Wolverines should pose a far stiffer test this time around.” – Cody Nagel, CBS Sports.

It’s not just CBS Sports that is highlighting this matchup. Over at ESPN, their college football staff writers identified early season games that they were excited to see, and Jake Trotter made Oklahoma-Michigan his top choice.

“I’ll throw Oklahoma at Michigan on Sept. 12 into the conversation. The Sooners are coming off a banner season under Brent Venables, and with quarterback John Mateer back, they should have aspirations of returning to the playoff and potentially making a run. Kyle Whittingham, meanwhile, has stabilized a Michigan program that fell into disarray under Sherrone Moore. Whittingham succeeded in convincing ballyhooed quarterback Bryce Underwood to stick in Ann Arbor. This will be a prime opportunity for Underwood to show he can propel the Wolverines into playoff contention.” – Jake Trotter, ESPN.

After tune-up games at home on September 5th for both teams in their season-openers (UTEP for Oklahoma and Western Michigan for Michigan), the two college football behemoths will face off again on September 12th in one of the most important games of the entire 2026 season.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: OU-Michigan game in 2026 will be just as important as it was in 2025

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