The SEC is famous for handing its members gauntlets to navigate every season, and that's mostly because it's a conference full of elite defenses that are stacked with future NFL talent, including Oklahoma's. That makes life hard for quarterbacks like John Mateer, who saw an obvious drop in production last season after entering SEC play (although injury could also be blamed). The 2026 slate won't be any different for Mateer and the Sooners' offense in Year 2 under OC Ben Arbuckle.
How every defense on Sooners schedule ranks
UTEP didn't have the worst defense in college football in 2025 while giving up 30.42 points a game, but it was close enough, especially considering its competition, that the Sooners will have their way against the Miners, even while ironing out wrinkles in the season opener.
New Mexico shouldn't be considered a cupcake after going 9-4 last season in the Mountain West, but the Lobos' defense still can't compare to anything OU will have to face in SEC play. This will be a breath of fresh air right before the Sooners have to take on the two best units on this list (spoiler).
The only defense in the SEC worse than Mississippi State last season was Arkansas. Jeff Lebby went out and got a new (old) defensive coordinator in Zach Arnett with hopes of improving, but he hasn't been in that role since 2022, when he was again with the Bulldogs before replacing Mike Leach as head coach. The Bulldogs' defense should be better in 2026, but not enough to move that far from the bottom of the conference.
New head coach Will Stein, the former Oregon OC, should immediately turn Kentucky's offense around, but he won't have the same effect on a defense that was in the bottom five of the SEC last season.
Missouri quietly had one of the best defenses in college football last season, but now has to replace almost its entire starting unit. The Tigers are a massive question mark depending on how well they navigated the transfer portal to fill those holes. They could surprise, but more than likely experience a major dip.
South Carolina actually has high hopes for its defense in 2026 after returning 61% of its production. The Gamecocks will likely be middle of the pack in the SEC again, but that can still be really good compared to any other conference.
The Aggies' defense was good enough last year to get them to the College Football Playoff, but they had to replace 10 NFL Draft picks. No matter how well Texas A&M recruited in the transfer portal, the defense is still destined for a drop-off after losing that much talent.
Ole Miss' defense was always overshadowed by the offense with Lane Kiffin in charge, but now former defensive coordinator Pete Golding is leading the way, and like Venables, he'll also keep calling plays on defense. The Rebels gave up a lot of points in the College Football Playoff while Golding juggled these roles, but that was an overnight change and against the best competition he could face. A change in leadership should mean a bigger focus on defense in Oxford.
This could prove to be way too high for Florida after the Gators were 12th in the SEC last season giving up 24 points a game, but new head coach Jon Sumrall is a defensive mind with experience against the Sooners and has more talent than he's ever had to scheme with. The Gators also get a boost against the Sooners since they'll be at home in The Swamp.
Michigan will be implementing an entirely new system and the Sooners will get it early in Week 2, but Kyle Whittingham is a veteran head coach with a familiar defensive coordinator in Jay Hill, and both have more talent than they've ever had before. The Wolverines also get the Sooners at home, so that Big House crowd, even if it's early, will help negate some possible Michigan mistakes.
Texas had a solid defense last season, but Steve Sarkisian still made a change at DC and brought in Will Muschamp. Regardless of the coaching moves, the Longhorns still have a ton of talent on defense, especially along the defensive line with edge rusher Colin Simmons leading the way.
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Georgia is a consistent SEC title contender under Kirby Smart because of its defense and that doesn't change in 2026. And even worse for the Sooners, they have to challenge what could be the best defense in the country on its own field in Athens.
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