Jason Eck’s viral OU quote perfectly captures the Power 4 vs. Group of 6 divide

New Mexico head coach Jason Eck's viral quote wasn't just the perfect analogy to describe his Lobos’ upcoming matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners, but all of these Power 4 vs. Group of 6 pairings we see a lot of during this early part of the college football season.

The No. 24 Sooners host New Mexico at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which is by far the largest venue the Lobos will visit this year.

This was likely the date circled in the brightest marker for the Lobos. For the Sooners, though, even if New Mexico is no cupcake, it’s just another day that bridges a marquee non-conference matchup with Michigan to another daunting trip to No. 2 Georgia, then the Red River Rivalry against Texas after that.

“They’re gonna be a challenge,” Eck said during his weekly press conference. “We’re definitely stepping up in class. It’s kinda like we’ve been going to, like, fast food restaurants to eat. Now, all of a sudden, we got an invite to the nicest steakhouse in town, and you’re checking your wallet to make sure you have enough to cover it cause you don’t want to be embarrassed.”

Jason Eck’s perfect analogy explains what awaits Oklahoma on Saturday

The Lobos have been fatting up their record with that fast-food competition. Last year, they went 9-3 in Eck’s first season in charge. Now, New Mexico is off to a 2-0 start with blowouts against Central Michigan and Mercyhurst.

That’s enough evidence to realize New Mexico cannot be overlooked, no matter what’s ahead for the Sooners or how talented their roster is. A week before beating OU, Michigan needed a miracle to fight off an upset to Western Michigan, another team contending for the Group of 6’s seat in the College Football Playoff. That should be a wake-up call for the Sooners.

Even Eck realizes, though, that there are different classes in college football now more than ever. It was ironic he used a reference about not having enough money, because in today’s game, that’s exactly what the biggest difference is. Who has the biggest wallet to feast?

Talent wins games, and today, you buy that talent. Even if a coach like Eck finds value in a great player, someone else will outbid them as soon as that player is worth more.

That’s not saying upsets are extinct in college football. Just up the highway, Tulsa took down Oklahoma State in Week 1, only for the Cowboys to handle Oregon a week later. Very few programs spend more on a roster than the Ducks, and few programs operate with less than Tulsa.

Those are outliers, though. The SEC went a perfect 16-0 in Week 1. All but two of those wins were over Group of 6 or FCS opponents, including the Sooners hammering UTEP, 51-0.

Overall through Week 2 of the 2026 season, Power 4 teams are 42-2 in head-to-head matchups against Group of 6 opponents. The only two upsets were Tulsa over OSU and UMass over Rutgers. Some might argue that Western Michigan over Michigan should count, but even including that, Power 4 programs still win about 95% of the time this season, and usually handily.

What the Sooners should take away from all that is that it’s possible. Unlikely, yes, but it can happen, and New Mexico might be more capable than any of its Group of 6 peers. Disparity from top to bottom in college football has faded, but it hasn’t disappeared, and the Lobos could take out a loan to act like big spenders on their date with the Sooners.

"Our complete focus now is on New Mexico," Brent Venables said during his press conference. "They're 2-0. They just scored 70 points and rushed for almost 300 yards last week. They forced six turnovers. They're a confident, aggressive football team. They're coming here expecting to win.”

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