The Oklahoma Sooners' 5-0 start to the 2025 college football season propelled them to a 10-2 regular season and a berth to the College Football Playoff, but CBS Sports' Cody Nagel does not see the beginning of 2026 going that smoothly for Brent Venables' team.
Nagel on Monday released bold predictions for every team that was in CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello's way-too-early top 25, where the Sooners came in at No. 10. Nagel foreshadowed some doom and gloom for multiple fan bases, including OU while predicting the Sooners to start the season at 2-3, which would end the dreams of a playoff return early in Norman.
Sooners' CFP hopes face early danger after bleak CBS Sports forecast
The Sooners will kick off the 2026 season with a cupcake matchup against UTEP on Sept. 5 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, but then in Week 2, OU gets Round 2 with Michigan, but this time in Ann Arbor.
OU handled the Wolverines 24-13 in Week 2 last season in Norman. Michigan has since endured a coaching change with longtime Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham taking over the program. Whittingham's first win leading Michigan was retaining quarterback Bryce Underwood, who made just his second career start and played in his first road game last year against OU.
With those moves, CBS Sports put Michigan right above OU at No. 9 in its way-too-early rankings, and Nagel has the Wolverines earning that spot after getting revenge over the Sooners.
After that hypothetical loss, the Sooners host New Mexico for what's not as easy of a win as it seems before starting SEC play with a road trip to take on two-time defending conference champion Georgia, which was No. 3 in CBS Sports' way-too-early rankings. In his bold predictions, Nagel also has the Bulldogs making it three SEC titles in a row.
That top-3 matchup is then followed by another on a neutral field with No. 2 Texas in the Red River Rivalry. Those daunting back-to-back top-3 clashes have Nagel predicting the Sooners to start 2-3 before a remaining schedule that features four more teams that were included in CBS Sports' way-too-early rankings.
"Consider this a warning for Oklahoma fans: Have you seen the 2026 schedule, particularly the first five games," Nagel wrote. "The Sooners are set to face three teams ranked ahead of them in Marcello's way-too-early top 25 -- at No. 9 Michigan, at No. 3 Georgia and No. 2 Texas in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas before the middle of October.
"The road eases up a bit after that, but multiple slip-ups early could put serious pressure on Brent Venables down the stretch. The last time Oklahoma lost three of its first five games was 2005, and only one of those defeats came against a ranked opponent."