Football will be back in Oklahoma this weekend. Enough said.
The Oklahoma Sooners will kick off their 2025 college football season by hosting the Illinois State Redbirds on Saturday in Norman. Once the ball is booted on Saturday morning, Sooner Nation can officially turn the page from a disappointing 6-7 season in 2024.
Saturday will also be our first real look at a new (and hopefully improved) OU offense under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State. To help turn around the Sooners' offense, they also added two top Transfer Portal prospects to the backfield in quarterback John Mateer from Washington State and Jaydn Ott from Cal.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of OU's season opener, including how to watch, weather, injuries and odds.
How to watch Oklahoma Sooners vs. Illinois State Redbirds
When: 5 p.m. CT Saturday
Where: Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma
Watch: ESPN+ / SECN+
Announcers: TBA
Listen: 107.7 FM The Franchise
You can watch Week 1 of the college football season with a free trial with fuboTV.
Norman weather for Saturday
Nearly perfect. Not only do we finally get football, but it brought its weather with it to Oklahoma.
The high for Saturday in Norman is 81 degrees, so it won't even be too hot while tailgating on the North Oval. The temperature is expected to be at 80 degrees right at kickoff and dip from there. There's also a low chance of rain that morning that shouldn't affect game day festivities.
OU injury update
The Sooners' Week 1 depth chart revealed some missing contributors for at least the season opener. Based on the depth chart, OU will be without two expected defensive starters in cornerback Eli Bowen and cheetah/corner Kendel Dolby. A pair of receivers were also missing from the depth chart in Jayden Gibson and Javonnie Gibson.
OU vs. Illinois State Odds (as of Monday evening)
According to FanDuel, OU is a massive 36.5-point favorite as of Monday evening.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Read more about OU football