The Oklahoma Sooners dominated their season-opener against the University of Texas at El Paso Miners on Friday night. Oklahoma won 51-0, outgaining the Miners 401-198 in the game.
Quarterback John Mateer had a strong start to the season after an injury-riddled 2025. He completed 11-of-17 for 225 yards and three scores. The Sooners also displayed a new-look rushing attack after averaging 118.5 yards per game last season, one of the worst in college football. Oklahoma ran for 170 yards with transfer Lloyd Avant leading the way with 15 carries for 79 yards and one score.
The impressive win saw Oklahoma move up in ESPN's Football Power Index. The FPI is a measure of team strength intended to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward
for the rest of the season. Oklahoma started the season ranked No. 14 in the FPI. The Sooners are all the way up to No. 11 in the latest ranking.
The jump in ESPN's FPI reflects how impressive Oklahoma looked in its opener, but the Sooners will have a much different challenge in Week 2. Oklahoma travels to face the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, after barely escaping the Western Michigan Broncos 13-12 on a last-second Hail Mary.
That matchup will provide a much better indication of just how much Oklahoma has improved. Mateer's health, the revamped rushing attack, and the defense all looked promising against UTEP, but Michigan will test those improvements against a much stronger opponent.
If the Sooners can carry that same level of efficiency into Ann Arbor, their early FPI rise could prove to be more than just a product of an impressive opening-night blowout.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on X @jaronspor.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Sooners inch closer to the top-10 in ESPN's FPI after win over UTEP
