Much has been said and written about the daunting start to Oklahoma's 2026 schedule, and most of it has been doom and gloom about it causing the Sooners to stumble out of the gate this season. Brent Venables, though, who's never feared a challenge, actually sees the early hardships benefitting his team.
Venables was the very first head coach to take the big stage for SEC Media Days on Monday at Tampa, Florida. Among a list of questions during his press conference was about the Sooners' front-loaded schedule that includes trips to Michigan and Georgia, plus the Red River Rivalry in Dallas.
SEC Media Days signifies college football season is looming, and over the next six weeks, no one has more to get fired up for than the Sooners.
Why Brent Venables believes Sooners benefit from tough start
"I mean, every game's big, right? You only get 12 opportunities, unlike baseball or basketball. My responsibility is to get our guys ready to play football all 12 games," Venables said. "You play an early game against Michigan on the road. There's some things you're trying to do from a scheduling standpoint that will give you the best chance to recover and be ready to go play. Great challenge.
"I think in the out-of-season program for us, it's worked to our benefit in regards to the motivation, the excitement, the enthusiasm, the quality of the work that our guys have put in. Couldn't be more excited about that."
The Sooners open their season with a Friday night game against UTEP on Sept. 4 at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. When Venables mentioned schedule changes to help with recovery, he was likely referring to moving that season opener from a Saturday to the Friday before. That essentially gave the Sooners an extra 24 hours before a trip to Michigan the next week for an early kick between two top-15 teams.
When they return from Michigan, the Sooners will host New Mexico (no cupcake, either) in Norman before what could be the toughest back-to-back games any team in college football has to face this year. Oklahoma will travel to Georgia, then get a week off before the Red River Rivalry against Texas in Dallas. Both Georgia and Texas, with a Week 1 win against Ohio State, could be top-3 squads when the Sooners take them on.
The rest of the schedule paves the way for the Sooners to not only recover, but even with a worst-case scenario 2-3 start, still make the College Football Playoff at 9-3 while riding a seven-game winning streak with multiple victories over top-25 opponents. However, as Venables said, "There's no walkovers after those three games either."
Read more: Oklahoma 2026 football schedule sets up best for the Sooners' worst-case scenario
But this is what the Sooners signed up for when they joined the SEC two years ago. That extra date with another blue-blood program like Michigan doesn't even cause Venables to flinch. And no matter who's on the other sideline, you best believe they also feel the same way about the task of beating Oklahoma.
"I think that's more of an affirmation, playing Michigan certainly out of conference, but that's what our conference looks like," Venables said. "Each and every week, you're not going to sneak up on anybody. Nobody's going to look past Oklahoma. We're going to bring out the best in everybody.
"Something our guys are really looking forward to the challenge, particularly early in the season."
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