The Oklahoma Sooners hit the road for the first time in 2026 on Saturday afternoon. OU heads to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House in Week 2.
Michigan went 9-4 last year, but the Wolverines have changed a lot since then. Former head coach Sherrone Moore was fired at the end of the regular season, with Biff Poggi serving as the interim head coach. Michigan hired former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham as the new head man on December 26th.
Whittingham coached Utah from 2005 to 2025, posting a 177-88 record as the head man of the Utes. His teams won three conference titles and played in three more conference title games. The Wolverines were looking for a stable presence in the wake of everything that happened with Moore
and his predecessor Jim Harbaugh, and they certainly got that in the veteran Whittingham. He'll square off with Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables in a huge game for both programs.
Michigan won at home last week against Western Michigan, 13-12. That victory came in controversial fashion, as the Wolverines were given an extra second on the clock after it appeared the game was over. Michigan used that second to throw a Hail Mary that was caught for the win. After escaping by the slimmest of margins, the Wolverines will certainly play a lot better on Saturday than they did last week.
On offense, Venables will be matched up against offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who came over with Whittingham. Beck has led strong offenses at New Mexico in 2024 and at Syracuse in 2023. His scheme is know for a stout rushing attack that also runs the quarterback a lot, something the Sooners got a heavy dose of last week against UTEP.
Former five-star prospect Bryce Underwood headlines the offense at the quarterback position. He was not at his best in the win last week, but he started right away as a true freshman and won nine games last year. Although he's in a new system, this is the second time he's seen Venables' defense.
In the run game, it'll be Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter leading the way, and Beck is certainly not happy with just 106 total yards on the ground against Western Michigan. Underwood is also a big part of the rushing attack. In the air, Andrew Marsh is looking for a bounce-back game as the leading target, but it was JJ Buchanan who paced the Wolverines in the passing game last week. He hauled in Underwood's Hail Mary throw.
OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle will match wits with Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill, who spent three years in that role at BYU. He has many years of experience working under Whittingham. Hill was excellent last year, and his defense didn't give up a touchdown in Week 1, holding the Broncos to just 221 total yards. Linebacker Troy Bowles led the Wolverines in tackles last week, while defensive end Dom Nichols had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Oklahoma will surely try to run the ball in this game, but the Wolverines are equipped to make it a tough day for Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer.
OU special teams coordinator Doug Deakin will face veteran Michigan special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs, who is in his first season in Ann Arbor. Special teams could very well be the difference in a big game like this, as mistakes in that phase from the Sooners in this matchup a year ago made the final score closer than it should have been.
Despite being two of college football's blue-blood programs, Oklahoma and Michigan have met just twice on the field. The first meeting came in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day in 1976. The Sooners won their second-straight national championship that night, beating the Wolverines 14-6 to wrap up the national title for the 1975 season. It was the second of Barry Switzer's three championships.
The only other meeting came last season, a 24-13 home win for the Sooners under Venables. In the first real test of the season, a stout defense confused Underwood all night, while Mateer put up a very strong performance in a physical, statement-making win. Oklahoma wouldn't say no to a repeat performance on Saturday.
That means OU has never played at Michigan Stadium, the largest stadium in college football. With over 107,000 seats, this will be one of the biggest crowds that OU Football has ever played against. After road wins against Tennessee and Alabama last season, the Sooners will look to draw on some of that experience as they enter the first of many hostile environments this year.
After last week's 51-0 win over UTEP, this game serves as the first real test of the season for Oklahoma. It's the beginning of a very difficult early-season stretch that could end up defining the year for the Sooners. Despite the way the Wolverines looked last week in their close win, Whittingham's team will play better this week, and Venables has to have his team ready to face a better opponent than what they saw on film this week. A great helmet matchup in a big-time environment is just about all you can ask for early on in the college football season.
Kickoff for Oklahoma-Michigan is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Know Your Foe: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Michigan Wolverines
