Final score and 3 more bold predictions for Oklahoma’s highly anticipated trip to Michigan

We're about to see what Team 132 is really made of.

The No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners travel to play the Michigan Wolverines at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Ann Arbor for a highly anticipated matchup that has recently lost some hype, but will still be OU's first real test of 2026 against another college football blue blood.

A day after the Sooners blew out UTEP 51-0 in their season opener last Friday night in Norman, Michigan needed a phantom second added to the clock and a miracle to survive Western Michigan 13-12 with a 43-yard Hail Mary.

The Wolverines' stock immediately crashed, as most college football fans view them as 0-1. National voters felt the same way while plummeting Michigan from No. 16 to unranked in this week's AP Top 25 Poll. That movement erased an expected ranked matchup for the Sooners that would have been an added boost to their resume for the College Football Playoff.

Michigan is still Michigan, though, so there's still no guarantee the Sooners waltz out of The Big House with an easy victory. Here's my final score prediction and what else I think will happen in Ann Arbor.

Sooners boast a 100-yard rusher

Yes, it was against UTEP, but the Sooners rushed for 170 yards in Week 1 and made it clear that there's an emphasis on running the dang ball. This week, the Sooners should return two starting offensive linemen and be less vanilla on offense, so the run game should be even better, no matter who is lined up on the other side.

Another massive difference for this week compared to last is that new running backs coach Deland McCullough let five different backs touch the ball in Week 1. All three quarterbacks who entered the game also got at least one carry on the stat sheet.

McCullough should rely mostly on only two backs, if not one, against Michigan. That will likely be Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant, who led the Sooners with 79 yards last week, but it's also too early to count out Xavier Robinson getting the bulk of the carries, or even Tory Blaylock if he's healthy.

Whoever McCullough leans on Saturday, though, will surpass 100 rushing yards, as the Sooners will chew up clock late.

Bryce Underwood throws not 1, but 2 interceptions

There's no denying Michigan has a quarterback problem with Bryce Underwood, and if anyone can exploit a problem at QB, it's Brent Venables.

Underwood was so disappointing in Week 1 against Western Michigan that his head coach, Kyle Whittingham, made it evident that he's not confident in his QB1 and Underwood might not be for much longer.

For now, though, it will be Underwood out there Saturday, when Venables' defense will face him for the second year in a row. Venables has a history of doing even better the second time against the same QB, and in Round 1 last season, Underwood completed only nine of his 24 passes for 142 yards.

Underwood's issues haven't been resolved, and multiple times last week, when under pressure, he just heaved a pass to nowhere. He was also picked off once when knowing exactly where he wanted the pass to go.

Venables will bring the heat on Saturday, and the Sooners' secondary will take advantage of Underwood's forced errors more than once, especially down the stretch, when the Wolverines are down and Underwood starts to force a play.

Parker Livingstone catches first TD as Sooner

Wide receiver Parker Livingstone, the transfer from Texas, was basically non-existent in his OU debut, but he was also a last-minute addition after being in concussion protocol for over a week leading up to the Sooners' season opener. Scrap what you saw last Friday night, when Livingstone was definitely in a more limited role than we'll see for the rest of the season, and consider this trip to Michigan as his launch party.

Livingstone, listed at 6-feet-3, is just too great a red-zone target for quarterback John Mateer not to look for. Michigan will also be more focused on the tight ends near the goal line after how impressive that group was last week. He also has a lot of speed to blow past the Wolverines' secondary if they get too concerned with Isaiah Sategna III or Trell Harris.

I'm not saying Livingstone will have a monster game, but his quiet debut will help him have a louder Week 2.

Final score prediction: Oklahoma 31, Michigan 10

After Michigan's embarrassing showing against Western Michigan last week, most assumed this was now an easy win for the Sooners, with FanDuel even swinging the spread to 5.5 points, as of Thursday, in OU's favor. Brent Venables is not eating the rat poison, though, and that's exactly why I have even more confidence in the Sooners on Saturday.

"However Michigan played last week, we're gonna bring out the best in Michigan, I can promise you," Venables said in his weekly press conference. "It's a talented football team that's got tremendous pride, and again, a tremendous staff that will have these guys prepared."

The Sooners haven't kept it a secret that they've been counting down the days to take on Michigan at The Big House, a year after beating the Wolverines 24-13 in Norman. OU even held some guys out Week 1 and was quick to pull starters to ensure everyone was ready for Week 2. Nothing has changed for the Sooners while preparing for this one, no matter what happened last week.

The Wolverines' greatest advantage will be playing at The Big House, but it's an early kick thanks to FOX's Big Noon Kickoff, and ticket prices have plummeted this week, meaning there will likely be less Maize and Blue, and maybe even more crimson in the stands. Those factors and the Sooners jumping to an early lead will give them a quiet working space most of the afternoon.

The Sooners will dominate from start to finish before the Wolverines lose their will and let it get out of hand late.

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