Oklahoma’s fast start has already changed the market.
After rolling UTEP 51-0 in its opener, the Sooners are now favored for next weekend’s trip to Michigan, with Circa Sports listing Oklahoma as a 5.5-point favorite on Sunday afternoon. That’s a notable swing from the offseason number, when Oklahoma opened as early 2.5-point underdogs against the Wolverines.
The teams will meet Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at Michigan Stadium, with Fox carrying the game. Both enter at 1-0, but the way they got there looked nothing alike.
Oklahoma’s opener was all about control. The Sooners unveiled a reworked offense under second-year coordinator Ben Arbuckle and leaned into a heavy tight end package, using plenty of 12-personnel along with some three- and even four-tight end looks.
Oklahoma also mixed in more under-center snaps and built the night around a downhill run game that set up a sharp passing performance from second-year starter John Mateer, who went 11-of-17 for 225 yards and three long touchdowns. The defense pitched a shutout and forced two turnovers, while the special teams unit delivered in a big way with a 3-for-3 night on field goals and an 88-yard punt return touchdown from Isaiah Sategna.
Michigan’s opener was a much shakier ride. The Wolverines escaped with a 13-12 win over Western Michigan in a game that ended with plenty of controversy.
Officials added 1 second back to the clock after what looked like a game-ending incompletion by Bryce Underwood on a deep throw out of the back of the end zone, and that extra snap turned into a last-second Hail Mary from Underwood to JJ Buchanan for the winning score. The Big Ten later released a statement, along with video, backing the decision to restore the second.
Without that sequence, Michigan would have been staring at a 12-7 upset loss to a Western Michigan team that came in as a four-touchdown underdog. Instead, the Wolverines survived and moved on.
Now comes a much bigger test, and the second game in a two-game series between these blue-blood programs. Oklahoma beat Michigan 24-13 in Norman on Sept. 6 last season, a win that helped carry Brent Venables’ team toward a 10-win season and a College Football Playoff berth.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got An Unexpected Late Boost In A Thin Secondary
A thin secondary got a little more help late in the cycle when Brent Venables landed a transfer commitment from former Wisconsin starter DYoni Hill. Hill brings a journeyman path through Miami, Marshall and Wisconsin, and he arrives with the kind of experience Oklahoma has been hunting as it tries to steady a cornerback group that needed more bodies and proven reps.
Jaydon Southard from Stephen F. Austin is another name worth watching as Oklahoma keeps working the transfer market for help on defense. The Sooners have been aggressive about adding depth where it matters most, and Southards fit could give Venables another option if the interest turns into a commitment. [Read more 🡒]
Red River Just Got More Personal For Oklahoma After One Transfer
The Red River rivalry has always carried enough emotion without any extra backstory, but the player movement between Oklahoma and Texas has given this years meeting a different kind of edge. Parker Livingstones move from Texas to Oklahoma adds a fresh layer to a matchup that already lives on history, bragging rights and every small detail that can tilt the week one way or the other.
Hollywood Smothers going the other direction only sharpens that feeling for Sooners fans, because these swaps turn a familiar rivalry into something more personal on both sidelines. Steve Sarkisians acknowledgment that some departures were made to create room for new transfers only underscores how modern roster building now bleeds into one of college footballs most traditional games, making the next Red River showdown feel even more charged. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Transfer LB Is Earning Praise Before A Very Personal Test
Cole Sullivan has settled into a useful role for Oklahoma as the Sooners continue building depth on defense, and his work in the 51-0 win over UTEP drew a little more attention than usual. The junior linebacker finished with one tackle and one pass breakup, and Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.2 grade, a small but encouraging sign for a player who has made his value by being athletic, reliable and quick to process the action in front of him.
Now comes a much more personal matchup. Sullivan is getting ready to face Michigan, the program he transferred from, and the Sooners will be watching to see how he handles a game that carries more meaning than the average nonconference date. He has been backing up at middle linebacker while fitting smoothly into Oklahomas defense, but this one gives him a chance to show how far he has come since leaving Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]