We already learned what we already knew: the Oklahoma Sooners have an absolute gauntlet to get through in 2026.
The Sooneers suffered their first loss in Week 2 after a disappointing 17-10 showing against Michigan. And the road only gets tougher from here, at least after this weekend.
Week 2 proved that the Sooners still have the same issues to overcome, while also revealing some teams they have to eventually face are as good as advertised or even better. Heading into Week 3, here's where the Sooners rank among the teams they have to actually take on.
The Texas Longhorns asserted themselves as the best team in college football with their come-from-behind 24-23 win over then-No. 1 Ohio State. The Longhorns likely won't remain on top, but as painful as it is, no one else is more deserving heading into Week 3.
The fact that the two best teams on the Sooners' schedule are also the top two teams in all of college football confirms that their gauntlet is every bit as daunting as we thought it would be in the offseason. OU will get No. 2 Georgia and No. 1 Texas in back-to-back games soon, with a bye week between.
Ole Miss passed an early test in Week 1 with a top-25 win over Louisville, but now we really see what the Rebels are made of without Lane Kiffin, who will be back in Oxford with his LSU Tigers on Saturday.
Texas A&M did exactly what it needed to do to prove it's still a CFP contender by blowing out Arizona State 48-20. There will be greater challenges ahead, but through two weeks, the Aggies have been dominant.
It's still hard not to view Michigan as a 1-1 team, but no matter what you thought about the Wolverines after Week 1, they proved themselves in Week 2 with a win against OU. Which Michigan is the real Michigan, though?
The Sooners dropped their first loss of the season to Michigan, thanks to once again having a dormant offense. That defense, though, is still great enough to probably beat everyone below them on this list.
Missouri clearly has some dangerous offensive weapons, but a 38-21 win against Kansas still doesn't prove much. It will be a few weeks before we really know what the Tigers are made of.
Are they CFP contenders? Probably not, but the Mississippi State Bulldogs are for real, as proven by their 38-13 thumping of Minnesota. No one should take Jeff Lebby's squad lightly.
Head coach Jon Sumrall was frustrated with the Gators' depth, but against weak competition, Florida has accomplished what it needs to. A trip to Auburn this weekend will reveal a lot more.
South Carolina hasn't played anybody at all, but a date with Mississippi State this week will reveal a lot about the middle of the pack in the SEC this year.
Kentucky looked dangerous until it didn't. Alabama ended up taking care of the Wildcats 45-17 to show they're still near the bottom of the SEC, but at least they're not Arkansas.
It really wouldn't be that crazy of me to put New Mexico ahead of Kentucky here. The Lobos haven't played anyone notable yet, but they've still shown enough to know they're dangerous. The Sooners could have their hands full on Saturday. That is also further confirmation of how tough OU's schedule is, considering New Mexico is down here at the bottom but still a threat.
The Miners won a game against Texas Southern after their blowout loss to OU, but UTEP will still never move up from this bottom spot unless New Mexico just falls apart. Even the worst SEC team would handle the Miners.
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