Everyone usually rejoices the return of college football in Oklahoma, but not everybody is this year since the Sooners kick off their season on a Friday night, a day usually designated for high school football.
OU announced in June that it was moving the Sooners’ season opener against UTEP back a day to be at 7 p.m. CT Friday night for various reasons, including weather and giving Brent Venables an extra 24 hours to prepare for looming Michigan the next week. The news disgruntled some fans who believe Fridays are sacred for only high school football, which is entering Week 1 throughout the state. It also throws a curveball for OU fans who need to be in the stands at a local high school on Friday night but also want to watch their Sooners.
Venables, though, understands the complaints and vows it won’t become a new tradition in the Sooner State, but the rare occasion also isn't something that's worth ruining your first full week of football.
“There’s no perfect way to do it," Venables said. "My job is to do what's best for our football team. There’s some layers to it. Hopefully that’s not gonna be anything of who we are from one year to the next.
“We certainly value high school football and the purity of it and what it means to so many people. This is just a unique moment is how I look at it. But not ideal. I certainly understand the dilemma.”
Here's Brent Venables today on Oklahoma's Friday night opener and how he hopes the move to Friday doesn't damage any relationships with the high schools in state:
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) August 31, 2026
"My job is to do what's best for our football team. So, there's some layers to it. Hopefully that's not going to be… pic.twitter.com/ZTyRyPdoB2
OU fans should embrace the Sooners' rare Friday night opener vs. UTEP
The gripes are certainly understood. Friday nights in the fall feel like making plans on a holiday.
Parents can’t miss their kid’s game to watch the Sooners, but thankfully for them, OU should have the game in hand by halftime. Friday being a workday also makes it more difficult for some fans to make it to Norman in time without taking off. There are even negatives for the Sooners scouting staff, who won't be able to spend Friday night monitoring recruits and are unable to host multiple top targets because they'll be busy playing.
“I don’t love that part of it,” Venables said of the interference with preps football. “I don’t think it’ll be a part of who we are moving forward."
The pros, though, clearly outweigh the cons if you can just get over tradition.
OU fans now have the entire first full Saturday of football free to watch whatever they want. It's also not a stacked slate, so maybe this is even your last Saturday with family before they're blocked off by OU football.
Venables, like he kindly reminded, also has to do what's best for his Sooners, not high school football in the state. The high temperature all weekend will be near 100 degrees, so that will be a lot more bearable for the Sooners and the fans at night than in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday. However, you can bet Memorial Stadium would still be full, unlike that deserted stadium in L.A.
There's also the underrated benefit of the Sooners getting an extra 24 hours to heal and prepare for their trip to Ann Arbor to play No. 16 Michigan at 11 a.m. CT Sept. 12. No one will care about missing a blowout against UTEP the week before if it helps them witness the Sooners notch a top-20 road victory.
It's clearly a unique experience with far more pros than cons, so embrace the change for one Friday night in Oklahoma.
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