Oklahoma opens its 2026 college football season at home on Friday night against an opponent that has been established as a 41.5-point underdog, per FanDuel, to the No. 10-ranked Sooners.
It isn't a question of who will win the game on Friday night between Oklahoma and UTEP, but rather by how much. I'm not exactly sure how the oddsmakers go about establishing the point spread for a game like Oklahoma vs. UTEP, where the talent and experience level between the two teams is so dramatically different and one-sided, but I can assure you that covering the spread is of far less concern to head coach Brent Venables than winning the game and his team performing well -- minimum mistakes and effective and efficient execution -- in doing so.
Teams accrue so-called style points when beating teams -- especially good ones -- by large margins. "Let's hang half a hundred on them" was a popular expression used by head coach Barry Switzer back in the 1970s and '80s to fire up his offense. In today's game, teams are often criticized for not covering the spread instead of receiving appropriate credit for winning the game.
Oklahoma fans are expecting to see big things on Friday night from an offense that is projected to be much improved with a healthy John Mateer returning at quarterback and with a stronger run game after being one of the worst in the SEC and the country last season. Among the changes in the offense this season are talented roster additions at running back, tight end and wide receiver that should have an immediate impact.
Those new additions and the impact they could have on what is expected to be a more balanced and higher quality Oklahoma offense will be on display in the season opener against UTEP. Fans need to be careful, though, about managing expectations and not over- or underreact to what they hope to see in this first game of the 2026 season.
Oklahoma wants to start out the season the right way with a win, but also needs to be smart about it
Venables and the Oklahoma coaches will likely approach Friday's game as a full dress rehearsal in preparation for some much bigger challenges to come over the next five weeks. The primary objectives against UTEP are to get a good strong opening performance from the starting units in all three phases (offense, defense and special teams) and avoid any serious injuries ahead of the important game at No. 16 Michigan in Week 2.
What that means is, as the score builds on Friday night, which it is expected to do, and the contest wears on deeper into the game on a hot and humid night, you can expect to see Sooner players several layers deep on the depth chart get into the game and gain some valuable game experience. That might limit Oklahoma scoring opportunities -- for example, instead of a 58-point night, OU might score only 48 -- but over the long-term it will pay bigger dividends.
Also, in view of the opponent and the placement on the schedule, you can expect offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle's play-calls and game plan on offense to be more of the vanilla type, without revealing too much ahead of the Michigan game. The same will be true in terms of defensive disguises and blitz packages. Because of this, fans could come away from the game underwhelmed with what they had hoped to see on offense or from the performance of one or more of the new additions on offense.
Aside from starting out 1-0 and avoiding any injuries of consequence, the importance of the game with UTEP is to get the OU starting units and rotational pieces up to game speed, learn from the game tape and make adjustments accordingly ahead of what will be a much greater challenge against a ranked Michigan team that will be looking to avenge the 24-13 loss in Norman last season.
Bottom line: Sooner fans need to be excited about the new season and optimistic about greater things to come, but also have patience and avoid drawing false conclusions or impressions on the basis of the very first game of the season and what was designed to serve as a dress rehearsal for much bigger things to come.
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