Oklahoma didn’t even take the field in Week 5, and somehow the bye week still managed to leave the Sooners looking worse.
That’s the strange place OU is in right now. The early part of the season already painted an ugly picture, but the weekend around them only made those first four games feel heavier. If Oklahoma is ever going to salvage anything from this start, those opening performances are going to hang around like a bad smell.
The biggest hit came from Michigan’s 20-14 loss to Minnesota. That result put another dent in the value of Oklahoma’s 17-10 loss to the Wolverines in Week 2. Michigan is now 1-2 since beating the Sooners and has dropped every other Power 4 game it has played this season.
The Wolverines’ only victory since then was a 52-17 rout of UTEP, the same UTEP team Oklahoma crushed 51-0 in its opener. Even that game wasn’t as clean as the final score suggests; Michigan led only 17-14 at halftime before pulling away.
That Oklahoma win over UTEP looked like a statement at the time, but it may end up being the Sooners’ lone impressive result so far, and even that feels generous. The Miners are 1-4 with their only win coming against Texas Southern, and they’re losing by an average of 41.5 points. New Mexico just hammered UTEP 61-7, and Oregon State also beat the Miners while allowing only a touchdown.
The Sooners did shut out UTEP, which still separates them from everyone else on that matchup list, but the larger point is harder to ignore: the Miners have looked so shaky that the opener may have said more about them than about Oklahoma.
New Mexico’s own season keeps adding to that awkward comparison. The Lobos are 4-1, and that ugly-looking 14-6 win over them in Norman is beginning to feel like it could be Oklahoma’s best victory of 2026 if the Sooners don’t pull off something major later, maybe even against No. 1 Texas on Saturday.
If New Mexico keeps winning, its path gets even more interesting. The Lobos have a Mountain West schedule ahead, and North Dakota State may be their only real test left. If they run the table, they could end up in the College Football Playoff as the Group of 6 representative.
Then there’s Georgia, which also did a number on Oklahoma with a 41-13 win two weeks ago. The No. 2 Bulldogs followed that up by beating Vanderbilt 38-14 in Athens, and while the score looks lopsided, the Commodores actually put up more of a fight than the Sooners did.
Georgia led Vanderbilt only 21-14 at halftime. Against Oklahoma, it was already 28-0 at the break, fueled by turnovers on three straight possessions. That’s the kind of detail that says plenty about how much the Sooners’ offense hurt them that day, especially quarterback John Mateer.
A bye week can’t go in the loss column. But for Oklahoma, it sure didn’t do anything to help.
In Other News...
Ben Arbuckle May Need A Drastic OU Offensive Rethink
Josh Heupel showed against Auburn that an in-game reset can change the feel of an offense in a hurry. Tennessee moved away from freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, turned to sophomore George MacIntyre to steady the operation and leaned heavily on DeSean Bishop as the running game took over. It was the kind of practical adjustment that can make a staff look decisive in real time, especially when the original plan is not producing much rhythm.
For Oklahoma, that kind of flexibility is the conversation point around Ben Arbuckle. John Mateers struggles have left the Sooners searching for a cleaner path on offense, and the Tennessee example is a reminder that a coordinator sometimes has to be willing to reshape the plan instead of waiting for it to click on its own. Whether Arbuckle goes that far is the unanswered question, but the pressure to find something more workable is only growing. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Biggest Red River Problem Could Decide Everything
When Oklahoma heads into the Red River showdown with Texas, the rushing battle looms as one of the clearest indicators of which side will control the afternoon. History in this rivalry has leaned heavily toward the team that runs the ball better, and that makes the Sooners ground game a central concern after recent struggles on both sides of the line.
John Mateer gives Oklahoma a different kind of answer because his legs can change the math even when the traditional run game is stuck. Against a Texas defense that has been stout enough to make every yard work, the Sooners may need Mateers scrambling and designed runs to keep the offense balanced and give themselves a chance to win the most important matchup on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Got A Crucial Kentucky Road Test Locked In
Oklahomas October schedule now has a little more clarity, with the SEC setting the Sooners road trip to Kentucky for Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. Its a notable addition for a program still adjusting to its new league slate, and it gives fans an early look at where one of the conference road swings will land in the middle of the fall.
Kentucky is hardly a familiar opponent for Oklahoma, either. The schools have met only three times before, in 1951, 1980 and 1982, and this trip is part of a series that will continue down the line, with the Sooners scheduled to visit Lexington again in the 2028 season. [Read more 🡒]