The Oklahoma Sooners are coming off an ugly performance against the Michigan Wolverines, falling 17-10. That has many nationally wondering if the Sooners were overrated coming into the 2026 season.
While the Sooners struggled in Ann Arbor, things don't get any easier. Oklahoma takes on a New Mexico Lobos team that won nine games last year and is a top-five defense in college football this season. If the Sooners don't fix many of the issues from Saturday, they could be in for a dogfight late in the game.
On3's J.D. PicKell was high on Oklahoma in the offseason, but he admitted he is in full-blown panic mode now.
"I would put the panic meter right now for Oklahoma at an 8.7," PicKell said on 'The Hard Count.' "Now, higher than that, I think you'd
have to be in the month of October or November. Here's why this is so terrifying to me and why I'm having some real panic about Oklahoma, because I was high on Oklahoma. I was high on John Mateer. What scares me is everything that Michigan did to them defensively is repeatable by other teams on their schedule."
That's what makes New Mexico more important than a typical Week 3 matchup. Oklahoma doesn't have to prove against the Lobos that every concern from Michigan has been solved. But the Sooners do need to show that they can adjust when a defense creates confusion, disrupts the running game and forces the offense into difficult situations.
The timing matters because New Mexico is the last game before Oklahoma starts SEC play. A strong performance would give the Sooners evidence that Michigan exposed fixable problems rather than fundamental flaws. Another offensive struggle, however, would give PicKell's warning considerably more weight.
The Michigan loss already put Oklahoma behind where it wanted to be. Now the Sooners have to make sure it doesn't become the beginning of a pattern. New Mexico provides the first chance to show that the issues exposed in Ann Arbor aren't as repeatable as PicKell fears.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: On3 college football analyst reveals why he's terrified for Oklahoma
