The Oklahoma Sooners were given their 2026 schedule for the program’s third season in the Southeastern Conference on Thursday. It was already known what teams OU would be playing next year, but now we know when those games will take place.
This year will look a little different in the SEC, with the league moving from eight conference games to nine. All 16 teams are also required to play at least one team from the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, or Notre Dame each year going forward. The SEC will continue to play without divisions, and the top two teams will play in the SEC Championship Game. Starting in 2026, and going until at least 2029, each team will play three annual rivals each season, while hosting and visiting every other team once in the four-year span. For OU, their yearly rivals will be Texas, Missouri and Ole Miss.
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In addition to at least 10 games against Power Four opposition, the college football regular season will be one week shorter in 2026 than it was in 2025, due to the way the calendar falls, with teams playing 12 games in 13 weeks, with one bye week. The SEC gets going on Labor Day Weekend in Week 1 of the new season.
The Sooners will see a bunch of different teams next year from their first two seasons in the SEC, but it’s still a tough schedule for a team that will be coming off of (at least) a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Here are three takeaways from OU’s 2026 schedule, as Brent Venables and his squad will look to build on a strong 2025 season.
1. The Sooners will face 12 FBS opponents in 2026
Oklahoma’s Kobie McKinzie (11) tackles Michigan’s Donaven McCulley (1) in the first half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooner and the University of Michigan Wolverines at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.
Aside from their nine league games and the big non-conference matchup on the road against Michigan, the Sooners will host UTEP and New Mexico in September, meaning there are 12 FBS opponents on the docket, and none from the FCS.
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Only one other SEC team can say the same, as Texas also won’t be playing an FCS team in 2026. In Oklahoma’s case, they aren’t scheduled to face an FCS opponent until at least 2029, and it may be even further down the road than that. The addition of another conference game is making everyone’s schedule harder, but the Sooners are certainly not taking the easy road at all.
2. Oklahoma’s start is brutal
Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III (5) catches a pass in front of Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) during the first half at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
After the season-opener at home against UTEP, the Sooners will head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in an important early season clash. However, the early portion of the schedule is unforgiving for Oklahoma. The Sooners will head back home to take on New Mexico before going right back on the road to play defending SEC Champion Georgia to close out September.
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It doesn’t stop there though, as OU gets their only bye week of the season in Week 5 after the Georgia game, before their annual date with Texas in the Red River Rivalry on October 10th in Dallas. If Oklahoma can make it through that portion of the schedule in good shape, it’ll tell us a lot about this team early on. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an opening six weeks in the country that are tougher than Oklahoma’s.
3. OU’s November is loaded again
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA – NOVEMBER 22: Defensive lineman Taylor Wein #44 of the Oklahoma Sooners sacks quarterback Beau Pribula #9 of the Missouri Tigers for a loss of nine yards after picking up his own fumble at the four-yard line at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
The month of October should be a bit more manageable for Oklahoma. They’ll host Kentucky, visit Mississippi State, and host what could be a tricky South Carolina team in the three-week stretch after they leave the Cotton Bowl. Then, the slate gets rough again in the month of November.
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The Sooners will head to The Swamp to face Florida to open the month, followed by back-to-back home games (for the only time all season) against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, two playoff teams this year. Then, Oklahoma will close out the regular season on the road against Missouri, a team that will be hyped up for a game that they consider to be a rivalry matchup.
It’s yet to be seen what many of the teams in the SEC will be in 2026, but that’s once again a pretty tough schedule for the Sooners in Year 3 in the league. Venables and his team put together a remarkable November stretch run in 2025. If the Sooners can survive a very strong opening schedule, they may have the opportunity to build a resume with strong November wins and make a push for the playoff again in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: OU’s 2026 schedule: 3 takeaways
