With UTEP out of the way, Oklahoma’s attention now shifts to the first true heavyweight test on the schedule.
The No. 10 Sooners head to The Big House next week for a matchup with No.
16 Michigan, a return trip after last year’s win over the Wolverines. That game was a breakout moment for OU quarterback John Mateer, who pushed his way into the early Heisman conversation before a hand injury interrupted the 2025 season.
Mateer is ready for the stage again.
“We're all excited to have an opportunity to go play at a great, historic stadium,” he said after Friday’s 51-0 victory. “We're excited about the opportunity. … We'll watch them (Saturday) night and then get ready to go Sunday.”
Oklahoma’s decision to open on Friday came with a few built-in benefits. The Sooners got to play at night, avoiding the brutal afternoon heat that hit plenty of teams around the country on Saturday. They also picked up an extra day of rest, since Michigan played Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday night.
That little cushion matters, and Oklahoma knows it.
“I think it’s going to be super important,” Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke said on Friday night. “Michigan does a lot of good stuff. The staff coming from Utah, they’re gonna put up a fight so we’ve got to be ready for a lot of different things.
“And an extra day of film, an extra day of rest going into the week, it all adds up. So I think it was a good call and we’re really looking forward to this week.”
For plenty of players on this roster, the trip to Michigan will be another stop in a season that already includes road tests at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville and Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Oklahoma came through those environments, and now it heads into another one of college football’s biggest venues.
The Sooners are also hoping to have some important help back up front, with center Jake Maikkula and do-everything-man Ryan Fodje key pieces of the offensive line that helped fuel those earlier wins.
For others, though, this will be a first taste of the spotlight on this kind of stage. Freshman offensive lineman Noah Best is among that group, and Georgia is waiting just two weeks after the trip to Ann Arbor.
“I’m so excited,” Best said. “It’ll be fun - one of those experiences.”
In Other News...
Danny Saili Is Already Forcing His Way Into Oklahomas Plans
Danny Sailis move to Oklahoma has already started to pay off for the Sooners. The former Arkansas linebacker, now cleared by the NCAA, was on the field for Oklahomas season opener and has wasted little time getting comfortable in Brent Venables defense, a system that asks a lot from its linebackers and rewards players who can pick things up quickly.
What has stood out most inside the building is how seamlessly Saili has fit in with the group. Coaches and teammates have pointed to his experience and the way he adds competition and depth, the kind of presence that can matter over the long grind of a season. For Oklahoma, the early signs suggest this was more than just a routine transfer addition. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Is Counting On Reggie Powers In A Crucial Defensive Test
Oklahoma enters the new season facing an important adjustment on defense after losing Kendal Daniels, whose strong year ended with a draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons. The Sooners are now looking for returning talent to absorb the production gap, and Reggie Powers is a central part of that plan after spending last season in a supporting role.
Powers is expected to move into the starting cheetah spot, a bigger job on a unit that wants to stay strong without Daniels presence. He has already shown excitement about the expanded opportunity, and Oklahomas confidence in the defense will depend in part on how quickly he can translate that promise into steady play. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Season Opener Said Plenty About This Team Fast
UTEPs season opener in Norman turned into a long afternoon almost immediately, with the Miners falling behind early and never finding a way to make Oklahoma uncomfortable in a 51-0 loss to the No. 10 Sooners. Scotty Walden spent his postgame remarks sorting through the obvious setbacks, with special teams standing out as a particular problem, even as he tried to keep the bigger picture in view for a roster still trying to take shape.
There was at least some encouragement for UTEP on the offensive side, and Walden said he sees room for the group to keep developing after a game like this. The schedule does not offer much time to ease into that process, either, with Michigan, Texas Southern and Oregon State all still ahead in non-conference play, so the Miners will need whatever lessons they can carry out of Week 1. [Read more 🡒]