Oklahoma returns home Saturday with a chance to keep its season moving in the right direction when South Carolina comes to Norman for a Week 9 SEC matchup.
The Sooners and Gamecocks are set for a 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will air on SEC Network, with streaming available through the ESPN app or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Oklahoma enters at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in SEC play after a 23-15 win at Mississippi State last Saturday. South Carolina arrives at 4-3 and 2-3 after upsetting Tennessee 27-24.
BetMGM listed Oklahoma as a 3.5-point favorite Friday, Oct. 30.
The over/under is 44.5, and the moneyline has OU at -165 and South Carolina at +138. The prediction attached to the matchup is Oklahoma 22, South Carolina 19.
Brent Venables’ team has a path to keep 9-3 in play, and the source material points to the Sooners’ defense as a key reason for confidence. It also notes that Venables’ defense bottled up LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecock offense in last season’s blowout road win. The big question is whether John Mateer can take care of the football.
Saturday’s meeting is one of several SEC games on the Week 9 slate. Auburn visits Ole Miss at 11:45 p.m.
Saturday on SEC Network, Florida and Georgia meet in Atlanta at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC, Mississippi State plays Texas at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday on ESPN, and Missouri travels to Arkansas at 6:45 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network.
Oklahoma’s full 2026 schedule shows the Sooners at 4-3 entering this game, with wins over UTEP, New Mexico, Texas and Mississippi State, and losses to Michigan, Georgia and Kentucky. South Carolina’s schedule shows wins over Kent State, Towson, Florida and Tennessee, along with losses to Mississippi State, Alabama and Kentucky.
In the SEC standings entering Week 9, Oklahoma sits eighth at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in league play, while South Carolina is 13th at 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC.
In Other News...
Oklahomas Offensive Collapse Just Raised A Bigger Brent Venables Question
Oklahomas 42-25 loss to South Carolina was the kind of night that leaves a coaching staff with more questions than answers, and the Sooners offense was at the center of it. Brent Venables watched his team struggle to keep pace for much of the game while LaNorris Sellers put together a dominant performance for the Gamecocks, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns and adding 96 rushing yards with two more scores.
Venables was asked afterward about possible coaching changes, but he declined to get into that topic after the defeat. For a program trying to steady itself, the bigger issue now is whether this was just a bad offensive night or a sign that something more significant has to change before the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Fans Turned On The Offense As Pressure Mounted Fast
The frustration inside Norman was hard to miss as the Sooners offense labored through a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina, a game that left fans voicing their displeasure from the stands. Oklahoma never found much rhythm, even with John Mateer finishing 26 of 43 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, and the pressure only grew as the night wore on against a Gamecocks team that kept answering with big plays.
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers helped keep the Sooners on their heels with both passing and rushing touchdowns, turning a difficult evening into a lopsided one. For Oklahoma, the defeat marked its second consecutive home loss for the first time since 2024, and the timing makes the next stretch even more important as the Sooners turn to Florida on November 7. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Loss To South Carolina Raised A Bigger Problem Than One Bad Night
The loss to South Carolina at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was ugly enough on its own, but the bigger concern for Oklahoma was how many parts of the offense seemed to be fighting the same battle at once. Quarterback Mateer finished 26 of 43 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, yet the night also brought decision-making issues and protection problems that made it hard for the Sooners to settle in and build any rhythm.
Oklahomas ground game never really gave the offense a way to reset, with no running back topping 32 yards, and the offensive line spent much of the night dealing with South Carolinas defense and its own penalties. One bad result can be shrugged off in a long season, but this was the kind of performance that leaves the Sooners with a lot more to sort through than the final score alone. [Read more 🡒]