The Oklahoma Sooners got what they hoped would be a season-flipping victory in the Red River Rivalry against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. OU's thrilling 27-24 win could set the stage for bigger things to come in 2026.
Of course, that all depends on whether the Sooners continue to improve as the year goes along, especially on offense. OU's chances of returning to the College Football Playoff still seem slim, but they could play their way into a sold bowl game if they keep turning things around.
Athlon Sports' Steve Lasaan released his latest bowl projections after Week 6, and Oklahoma was included among the non-playoff SEC teams.
In the SEC, the teams that qualify for the CFP are off the board for the remaining bowl selections. The Citrus Bowl
picks the top SEC team that doesn't qualify for the playoff.
After that, there's a pool of six bowls, with no pecking order, that will consult with the SEC and school personnel to determine where teams are scheduled. They'll try to create the best possible matchups. For 2026, those bowls (in no particular order) are the Gator Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, the Music City Bowl, the ReliaQuest Bowl, and the Texas Bowl.
After that, two more bowls, the Birmingham Bowl and the Gasparilla Bowl, will pick from any bowl-eligible SEC teams that still don't have a landing spot.
Lasaan places OU in the Liberty Bowl in his new picks, and that game will be played on January 2nd in Memphis, Tennessee. The projected matchup for the Sooners is an interesting one, as Lasaan has OU matching up with the West Virginia Mountaineers out of the Big 12.
Of course, the Sooners will face off against former quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., now the Mountaineers' starter. Hawkins spent two seasons in Norman, making five starts and going 2-3. He took over in 2024 after Jackson Arnold was benched, starting three straight games before Arnold replaced him in the lineup.
After starting in the 2024 Armed Forces Bowl against Navy, Hawkins stuck around as the backup to new starter John Mateer in 2025. Hawkins made one more start when Mateer had to have thumb surgery, but played very sparingly the rest of the year. He transferred to WVU last offseason and won the starting job for Rich Rodriguez's Mountaineers.
Hawkins had a very strong start to the season, helping West Virginia open 3-0. However, he's cooled off significantly over the last three weeks, all losses for the Mountaineers. Still, he's been a perfect fit for the run-heavy "RichRod" system in Morgantown.
In the all-time series, Oklahoma leads West Virginia 12-3, including a 10-2 mark this century. The two teams were conference opponents from 2012 to 2023, meeting every season in that stretch except 2020. That game was canceled due to COVID-19. In Big 12 games, the Sooners hold a 10-1 advantage over the Mountaineers.
A Liberty Bowl appearance isn't what the Sooners have in mind this season. After a pivotal win, Oklahoma is looking to improve each week as it tries to turn around a disappointing start and run the table to the College Football Playoff.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where does OU land in Athlon's new bowl projections after Texas win?
