College football’s return brings a fresh wave of hope across Oklahoma, and the storyline is different for each of the state’s big three.
At Oklahoma, the bar is already high. The Sooners enter 2026 with championship expectations, a defense that can control games and an offense that has been reshaped around John Mateer.
The question hanging over Norman is whether Ben Arbuckle can get enough out of that rebuilt attack to match what Brent Venables already has on the other side of the ball. Oklahoma’s schedule won’t make anything easy, either.
Three traditional powers show up early, and they’ll do it in iconic venues. If the Sooners are going to make another run at the College Football Playoff, they’ll have to prove they can survive that kind of test.
Mateer sits at the center of that hope. Oklahoma rebuilt with him in mind, and 2026 gives him a final college season to reward that faith. For Mateer, it’s a chance to improve both his place in Sooners history and his NFL draft stock.
Across the state, Oklahoma State is trying to start over in a much different way. After back-to-back black-hole seasons, the Cowboys are looking for a clean break under new head coach Eric Morris.
Their biggest swing came at quarterback, where Oklahoma State landed Drew Mestemaker. The nation’s passing leader arrives with obvious upside and the kind of expectations that come with it, and he has said he’s ready to embrace them.
For OSU, the hope is that Mestemaker can change the whole feel of the program.
The Cowboys’ new look doesn’t stop there. Their offensive and defensive plans are being shaped by young coordinators, another sign that this season is about building something new.
And with Morris taking charge in his first year, the pressure around Stillwater is already heavy. Bill Haisten put it plainly: “Eric Morris volunteered to be the man for this critically important time at OSU.”
Tulsa’s outlook is quieter, but no less important. The Golden Hurricane head into 2026 with bowl eligibility squarely in sight, and Baylor Hayes is a big part of that conversation. Entering Year 2, he appears to have a clearer grasp on the offense and more control of it, and Tre Lamb along with TU players seem invested in his ability to lead the team and produce wins.
That optimism around Tulsa is part of a broader mood across the state. In Oklahoma Territory, college football is back, and each program has its own reason to believe.
OU is chasing the playoff. OSU is searching for a reset.
Tulsa is aiming for a breakthrough that puts bowl season within reach.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Gets An Early Test That Could Change Everything
An early September trip to Boone Pickens Stadium already carries a different feel around Oklahoma State, and the buzz is showing up at the ticket window. With new coach Eric Morris and quarterback Drew Mestemaker leading the program into a reset, the Cowboys have turned their Week 2 meeting with Oregon into one of the more intriguing games on the schedule, a sign that last years frustration has not drained the appetite for what comes next.
Oregon is still expected to arrive as the favorite, but the matchup is drawing attention because it looks like more than a tune-up for either side. The Ducks are trying to navigate a season that could end in the College Football Playoff, and Oklahoma State has its own path to chase under Morris. For a program looking to prove it has more than just hope, this is the kind of test that can say plenty without settling everything. [Read more 🡒]