It's barely April, but it feels like the peak of offseason already with Vegas oddsmakers putting out game odds and the Oklahoma Sooners getting no respect.
FanDuel on Thursday released odds for a list of big-time early matchups for the 2026 college football season, including the Sooners' trip to Michigan in Week 2 on Sept. 12 in Ann Arbor. Despite last year's result and both programs experiencing entirely different offseasons, Michigan was listed as a slim 2.5-point favorite, with Vegas apparently liking the Wolverines' home-field advantage.
Early odds have Oklahoma as underdog despite opposite offseasons
The Wolverines traveled to Norman in 2025 for a primetime meeting between blue bloods that drew ESPN College GameDay. The Sooners handled Michigan 24-13 before finishing the season at 10-3 and making the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines, meanwhile, went 9-4 and finished their year with a loss to Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
Even before the season ended, chaos broke out in Michigan as head coach Sherrone Moore was ultimately fired and replaced by Kyle Whittingham from Utah. The bright spot for the Wolverines was at least keeping starting quarterback Bryce Underwood, who made his first career road start last season at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Brent Venables is still leading the Sooners despite having one of the hottest seats in the country at the start of 2025 and his program might have more continuity than ever before heading into 2026. Senior John Mateer is returning as QB1 for his third season as the starting quarterback in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle's system. The Sooners also found Mateer more weapons at wide receiver while they return four of five starting offensive linemen and both star running backs.
Apparently, though, Vegas hasn't paid much attention since the season ended and forgot about last year's meeting. This spread could very well flip by kickoff, though, if not before the offseason even concludes as hype builds around the Sooners.
The Sooners kick off the 2026 season against UTEP on Sept. 5 in Norman, while Michigan will host Western Michigan.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.