While Week 1 of the college football season featured three top-10 matchups, there is only one contest between two ranked opponents in Week 2, though it is a big one. The Michigan Wolverines get their first real test of the 2025 season, traveling to Norman for the first leg of a home-and-home with the Oklahoma Sooners. There are 10 more games after this, but whatever happens on Saturday night will set the tone for the rest of the year.
Oklahoma has an absolutely daunting schedule, with games against
seven teams that are currently ranked. That makes this weekend a near must-win for the Sooners, who come into this one favored by over a field goal. All is not lost if Michigan falls short here, but a road win over a team of this quality will have this team believing it can return to the playoff.
No. 15 Michigan (1-0) at No. 18 Oklahoma (1-0)
Date & Time: Saturday, Sep. 6, 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK
TV/Streaming: ABC
New Year’s 1976 was the last time these teams met, which is rare for Michigan and the rest of the blue bloods. The Wolverines fell short against Texas just last year, and have seen USC and Nebraska in conference play recently. There is of course the pair of 2024 wins against Alabama, and the 2019 domination over Notre Dame was one to remember. Am I forgetting anyone? We can check back once they actually hang 100.
Offense: Risk tolerance
Bryce Underwood’s debut matched my expectations: some impressive throws and some frustrating drops. The question now becomes how much Chip Lindsey will trust him against a top-10 defense, especially given the remaining questions along the offensive line. The receivers could clean up some mistakes, but the Wolverines are not going to get 9.9 YPC from Justice Haynes again, so the regression might even things out.
The Oklahoma defense is elite, as one would expect under Brent Venables, finishing top 20 in SP+ last season (despite a sub-.500 record) and bringing back most starters. Up front, the Sooners are loaded with talent between guys like Preseason Second-Team All-SEC edge R Mason Thomas, former five-star lineman David Stone, and linebacker Sammy Omosigho, who led the defense in Week 1 PFF grading. The secondary is probably a step back from the front seven, but it still has enough talent to challenge an inexperienced Underwood.
If there is any reason for hope, it would be Illinois State’s 4.5 YPC against this front last week. The Wolverines will always trust their run game, and successful yards on the ground will make everything much easier. Successful rushes lead to play-action opportunities and run-focused safeties, giving Underwood a chance to find some favorable matchups.
One big thing to watch is how much Underwood is allowed to use his legs. Sherrone Moore has been hesitant to use quarterbacks this way in the past, but it might be the best way to stretch the Sooners defense. I bet Lindsey is allowed to open up the playbook a bit, even if it turns out to be a one-week exception. Screens and slants are nice, but let the generational athlete make some plays on his own too.
Defense: Discipline
Everything on the other side of the ball starts with John Mateer, one of the biggest transfers of the offseason. A true dual-threat quarterback, containing Mateer will be the number one responsibility of the Michigan defense, which makes Jaishawn Barham’s suspension all the more frustrating. I wrote a bit about Mateer earlier this week, and his 2024 production at Washington State bears repeating:
Mateer did it all last season, throwing for 3,139 yards on 64.6% passing and 9.0 YPA (7th nationally) with 29 touchdowns (10th) and 7 picks, ranking 8th in passer rating. He added another 826 yards rushing on 14.8 (!) carries per game, scoring 15 times on the ground. This is a dual-threat weapon that is used to being the center of the offense, and he now gets an upgraded cast around him (though the offensive line is both incomplete and of questionable ability).
That cast includes Cal transfer Jaydn Ott, a Second-Team All-SEC preseason selection at running back who oddly did not really play Week 1, and receivers Keontez Lewis (2 TD last week) and former Boilermaker Deion Burks (from Belleville). Mateer excels at keeping plays alive and breaking free from pressure, happy to keep the ball or bail out of passing looks and scramble. I do think Michigan has done a better job against mobile quarterbacks in recent years (see: Jalen Milroe), but it only take a couple breakdowns to really get punished.
The hope for the visitors is the offensive line, which is unproven and hurt. Even at full strength, the advantage clearly favors the defensive front, and the task will be getting to Mateer without giving up running lanes. Should Michigan be able to pressure him, Mateer’s accuracy will drop off and interceptions will become available. However, overpursuing is going to lead to free first downs via his legs, so it really becomes a delicate balance.
Seasoned vs. spice
Both defenses are excellent, and both will like their chances against the other’s offense. For Oklahoma, the goal will be committing to defending the run and forcing the young phenom to win through the air in his first career start on the road. For Michigan, it will be ensuring the defensive line can make its presence known without leaving itself too vulnerable by being overly aggressive.
The metrics favor the Sooners in this one, which seems fair given Mateer’s dynamism vs. Underwood’s lack of experience. However, if the Wolverines can scrape enough together on offense — which includes involving the quarterback in the run game — then anything can happen. As good as Mateer and Ott are, Michigan has shut down tricky offenses before. This game is absolutely winnable, and a victory on Saturday instantly shoots up the floor on this season.
