Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule Update Weeks 1-3

Alright Sooner fans, we finally have some real dates and times for the start of the 2026 season.

Oklahoma will open the year at home against UTEP on Saturday, September 5th. Start time hasn’t been announced yet, but it’ll be on SEC Network+ like the league requires for one of everybody's non-con games.

UTEP had a rough go of it last year, finishing 2-10 and dead last in Conference USA. This one should be a good chance to start the season 1-0 and get some confidence rolling in Norman.

Week 2 is the big one we already knew about, Oklahoma heads to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan on September 12th. This is going to be part of FOX Big Noon Kickoff. It’ll be Michigan’s second game with new head coach Kyle Whittingham. 

OU beat them 24-13 in Norman last year, and they still went 9-4. Going on the road that early against a solid Michigan team is no joke.

That’s going to be a physical, tough environment.

Then in Week 3, the Sooners are back home against New Mexico on Saturday, September 19th. This one is locked in for 6:30pm CT on ESPN2, the first nationally televised home game of the year.

New Mexico went 9-4 last season and actually tied for first in the MWC, but lost the tiebreaker and missed the conference title game. They are a slouch, and aren’t going to be a pushover, but it’s still a game OU should be favored in at home under the lights.

So the early stretch looks like this: UTEP at home, Michigan on the road, then New Mexico back in Norman.

Not the softest non-con schedule out there, especially with that Michigan game thrown in the middle, but it gives this team a chance to knock off a couple of wins and get some rhythm before the SEC schedule gets going.

Of note, for the first time 2023, OU will not play an FCS opponent. That was also the last time the Sooners played just three non-con games when they were still in the Big 12. This is the first year where the SEC will be playing nine conference games.

These early games are going to be important for figuring out where this team is at, especially on the offensive line and getting John Mateer comfortable in the offense.

The countdown to kickoff is on, and September 5th can’t get here fast enough.