The Oklahoma Sooners have to turn the page after winning an instant classic against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. OU needs to build on the 27-24 win and carry it into a strong performance against the Kentucky Wildcats this week.
However, the Sooners also learned their kickoff time for their game on October 24th on the road against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The SEC announced that OU and MSU will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT in Starkville in Week 8.
The Sooners and the Bulldogs have never met on the gridiron, despite being in the same conference for two seasons. However, the two schools share a lot of familiarity. When Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby left his post as OU's offensive coordinator to coach the Bulldogs, he took
several assistants with him to Starkville.
Tight ends coach Jon Cooper, quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns, offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, senior offensive consultant Matt Wells, quarterback analyst Tanner Schafer, offensive line analyst Ben Tawwater, and offensive fellow Nate Klein join Lebby as coaches on the MSU staff with OU ties, though not all came to Starkville directly from Norman. Zac Selmon, the athletic director who hired Lebby at MSU, was at Oklahoma for many years under Joe Castiglione.
The Bulldogs also have a number of players who played at Oklahoma. Safety Kendel Dolby, wide receiver Zion Ragins, and offensive lineman Isaiah Dent will face their old team in two weeks.
Game Time Update 🗓️ | Week 08 at Mississippi State
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 12, 2026
🕝 2:30 PM CT
📺 ESPN or SECN pic.twitter.com/7owuDqOAbE
Lebby was Brent Venables' first hire as offensive coordinator, and now the former co-workers will look to hand the other a loss in SEC play. That game will broadcast on either ESPN or the SEC Network as part of the afternoon slate.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Kickoff time announced for Oklahoma vs. Mississippi State in Week 8
