Oklahoma can keep perfect bragging rights over fellow blue-blood Michigan on Saturday

Oklahoma gets a major out-of-conference test early in its 2026 season as the 11th-ranked Sooners make their first-ever visit to the Big House, home of the Michigan Wolverines, college football's all-time winningest program, for a marquee showdown on Saturday.

Saturday will be the third meeting all-time between the two storied college football programs. Oklahoma has won the two previous games, including a 24-13 triumph in Week 2 last season in Norman. The only other meeting between Oklahoma and Michigan was in the 1976 Orange Bowl. No. 3 Oklahoma defeated No. 5 Michigan 14-6 in that game to complete an 11-1 season and capture a second consecutive national championship.

Michigan leads all of college football with 1,022 all-time wins. Oklahoma stands sixth on that list with 961 wins and fifth in winning percentage (.733), one spot better than Michigan (.732).

The crowd size at 99-year old Michigan Stadium for the Oklahoma game on Saturday could approach 110,000 (the announced attendance last weekend for Michigan's season opener against Western Michigan) and will be engulfed in a sea of maize. If so, that will be the largest crowd, home or away, in Oklahoma football history.

Both teams opened the 2026 season last week, but with dramatically different results. Oklahoma posted a 51-0 shutout over UTEP. Meanwhile, Michigan, ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll, literally had to resort to a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass to pull out a 13-12 win over the reigning MAC champions Broncos of Western Michigan.

As a result of the Wolverines' near-disaster in their season opener, Michigan fell completely out of the AP Top 25 ahead of the Week 2 showdown with Oklahoma, lessening some of the glamour and importance associated with this highly anticipated matchup.

The Sooners are 14-7 all-time against teams from the Big Ten and have won their last five true road games against opponents from that league.

How to watch Oklahoma vs. Michigan

When: 11 a.m. CT Saturday
Watch: FOX (use fuboTV free trial)
Announcers: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analysis) and Jenny Taft (sideline reporter)

What to know about Michigan

• Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood has started each of Michigan's last 14 games. Last week against Western Michigan, he completed 12-of-22 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and one interception. He also had 47 yards rushing and a touchdown. Utah transfer JJ Buchanan was Underwood's primary target in Week 1 with six receptions for 126 yards, including the game-winning 47-yard touchdown catch.

• The Wolverines have long been a team that wants to pound the rock and run the ball down the opponent's throat. They ranked 14th among FBS teams last season, averaging 210 yards per game. In the season opener against Western Michigan, however, Michigan managed just 106 yards on the ground and just 44 by junior running back Jordan Marshall, who led the Wolverines a year ago with 932 rushing yards and an average of 6.2 yards per carry. This week, they'll be going against an Oklahoma front seven that ranked No. 3 in the country last season in stopping the run.

• This is the first season at Michigan for veteran college head coach Kyle Whittingham. He compiled a 177-88 record in 21 seasons at Utah before accepting the head position at Michigan and has a 66.8 winning percentage as a college head coach. Whittingham is the second head coach to lead the Wolverines since Jim Harbaugh left the program after the 2023 season to become head coach of the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. Former Oklahoma alum Sherrone Moore coached Michigan in 2024 and 2025.

• The Wolverines do not beat themselves. Over the last three seasons, Michigan has been among the nation's leaders in committing the fewest penalties. In 2023, the Wolverines ranked No. 1 in that category. They were No. 3 in 2024 and No. 13 a year ago.

What to know about Oklahoma

• Oklahoma amassed 401 yards of offense in its season-opening win over UTEP. The Sooners exceeded 400 yards on offense only three times last season, including a 408-yard performance against Michigan in the second game of the 2025 season.

• In his weekly press conference this week, OU head coach Brent Venables said he expects the Sooners to bring out the best in the Michigan team on Saturday. "I fully expect it to be a four-quarter game where it comes down to the last one or two possessions of the game and who can be at their best when the pressure and chaos is at its highest. There is no path to winning without being the most physical team," he said. "That will be the challenge for both teams."

• To beat Michigan, Oklahoma must be able to run the ball effectively. The Sooners' rushing offense was one of the worst in the nation in 2025 (113th nationally), averaging 118 yards per game. OU made some talented additions to the running back stable this past offseason and hired a new running backs coach, Deland McCullough, who comes to OU after recent stops at Notre Dame and with the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders. The Sooners gained 170 yards on the ground last weekend against UTEP, but the going will be a lot tougher this week against a Michigan defense that may not be as good as Oklahoma's, but was still ranked 19th nationally last season in defending the run.

• Brent Venables delivered some good news to the Sooner faithful during his weekly coach's show on Monday. The Sooner head coach insinuated that starting offensive linemen Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje are expected to be back and available for the Michigan game. Both were held out of the season opener with UTEP.

• Oklahoma has a couple of Michigan connections on its 2026 roster. Junior linebacker Cole Sullivan transferred to Oklahoma after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at Michigan. Sooner cornerbacks coach LaMar Morgan was the Wolverines' defensive pass game coordinator in 2024 and 2025.

Extra points

• Michigan has won 32 of its last 35 home games at Michigan Stadium, dating back to 2021. The three losses were against No. 3 Texas and No. 1 Oregon in 2024, and No. 1 Ohio State last season.

• Oklahoma won all four of its true road games last season (Temple, South Carolina, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 4 Alabama).

Prediction

This game took on a much different feel after Michigan's Week 1 performance. That's both good and bad news for Oklahoma.

The good news is that the Wolverines appear to be more vulnerable than all the preseason hype and projections would have us believe. The bad news is that a win over Michigan at the Big House may not have the same residual value as it would have otherwise.

I believe the Sooners are going to see a much different and more determined Michigan bunch this weekend and that the game will remain close to the end. In the end, though, the Sooners prevail and keep an unbeaten record against the Maize and Blue.

Oklahoma 24, Michigan 13

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