Much of the talk around Oklahoma’s 2026 schedule has centered on how brutal the opening stretch looks. Brent Venables, though, isn’t viewing it as a problem. He’s treating it like a test his team can use.
Venables was first up Monday at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida, where the Sooners’ early slate was a major topic. Oklahoma’s schedule brings a road trip to Michigan, a visit to Georgia and the Red River Rivalry in Dallas, all packed into the front end of the season.
For Venables, that kind of challenge is part of the point.
“I mean, every game's big, right? You only get 12 opportunities, unlike baseball or basketball.
My responsibility is to get our guys ready to play football all 12 games,” Venables said. “You play an early game against Michigan on the road.
There's some things you're trying to do from a scheduling standpoint that will give you the best chance to recover and be ready to go play. Great challenge.
“I think in the out-of-season program for us, it's worked to our benefit in regards to the motivation, the excitement, the enthusiasm, the quality of the work that our guys have put in. Couldn't be more excited about that.”
Oklahoma opens the season Friday night against UTEP on Sept. 4 at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. That shift from Saturday to Friday appears designed to give the Sooners an extra day before heading to Michigan the following week for an early kickoff between two top-15 teams.
After that trip, Oklahoma returns home for New Mexico, before a stretch that could define the season’s tone. The Sooners go to Georgia, then get a week off before facing Texas in Dallas. If Week 1 goes the way Georgia and Texas hope, both could be top-3 teams by the time Oklahoma meets them.
Even with that kind of start, the back half of the schedule leaves room for Oklahoma to recover. The source material notes that a 2-3 opening would still leave the Sooners in position to finish 9-3 and reach the College Football Playoff, especially if they ride a seven-game winning streak and pick up multiple wins over top-25 opponents. Still, Venables made clear the road does not get any easier after those first three games.
“There’s no walkovers after those three games either,” he said.
That’s the reality Oklahoma signed up for when it joined the SEC two years ago. Venables doesn’t blink at the idea of adding another heavyweight like Michigan to the mix, and he believes the Sooners’ name carries its own weight no matter where they play.
“I think that's more of an affirmation, playing Michigan certainly out of conference, but that's what our conference looks like,” Venables said. “Each and every week, you're not going to sneak up on anybody.
Nobody's going to look past Oklahoma. We're going to bring out the best in everybody.”
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Kalen DeBoer Just Said What SEC Coaches Know About Brent Venables
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Venables is 2-1 against DeBoer in their three matchups over the last two years, with Oklahomas defense carrying the day in Norman and then again in Tuscaloosa before Alabama finally answered in the postseason rematch. DeBoer said he was relieved not to have to deal with that defense again in the 2026 regular season, which is about as clear a sign as any that Venables still has a reputation for making life miserable, even when everyone in the stadium knows what he is trying to do. [Read more 🡒]
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Eddy Pierre-Louis Takes On Bigger Role For Oklahoma Offensive Line
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The challenge now is less about talent than tone. Oklahoma has to fill the leadership void left by Febechi Nwaiwu, and Pierre-Louis has already acknowledged that his role has to grow beyond just his own play. For a line that should have experience, the next step is getting the room to match that on-field stability with the kind of leadership that keeps everyone aligned when the season starts to get difficult. [Read more 🡒]