Michigan and Oklahoma have never met during the regular season. In fact, the two college football blue bloods have played each other just once previously in the long and storied history of both programs.
When those two schools meet in primetime in Norman, Oklahoma, on Sept. 6, it will be the biggest game on the national schedule in the second week of the college football season. It may only be the second game of the season for both teams, but the outcome could have a major impact on fan expectations and the direction the remainder of the season takes for both of these nationally acclaimed programs.
There are plenty of questions surrounding both programs entering the 2025 college season, which should make the Power Four conference clash on Sept. 6 an exciting game to watch and a difficult one to predict. Certainly there are arguments to be made on both sides.
Here are the three reasons GBMWolverine contributor Nick Popio said will tip the scale in Michigan's favor and deliver a big win over Oklahoma: 1) Brent Venables chokes in big games, 2) Michigan's coordinators have a better reputation than Oklahoma's, and 3) Michigan has a slight special teams edge at kicker.
Michigan will have 'upper hand' when Wolverines come to Norman in Week 2, says one writer
Every man is certainly entitled to his opinion, but I would like to offer an opposing point of view.
While Brent Venables and the Sooners struggled against ranked teams last season, going 1-6 by my count, the OU head coach has been in and won a number of big games in his career. The Sooners' knocked off No. 7 Alabama last season, and No. 3 Texas and No. 24 Oklahoma State the year before. And that doesn't count the number of wins over ranked teams he garnered as a defensive coordinator at Clemson and Oklahoma, including three national championships.
I wouldn't necessarily take Venables' record in one highly atypical Oklahoma season and draw the general conclusion that the Sooner head coach chokes in big games.
On the second point that the Michigan coordinators have a stronger reputation than the one's at OU, I would agree that Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is an outstanding defensive coach with an exceptional record of achievement in both the NFL and in the college ranks. But Venables' record of achievement calling plays and coaching the defense is equally impressive, and he is the one leading the Oklahoma defense this season.
As for the opposing offensive coordinators with Ben Arbuckle at OU and Chip Lindsey at Michigan, the overall records of the teams they've been on the last three seasons are fairly comparable: Arbuckle 22-17, Lindsey 25-15.
In truth, I think both teams are going to face challenges moving the ball consistently against what is expected to be two of the best defensive teams in the country this coming season. The team with the better balance offensively, not to mention the better quarterback, will be in the best position to win this huge early season matchup.
The kicking game on special teams is cited as the third advantage Michigan will have over the Sooners. GBMWolverine's Popio wrote Michigan placekicker Dominic Zvada, in his second season with the Wolverines, is "more reliable in clutch situations and could be the deciding factor in a close encounter."
Zvada is 85% for his career in field-goal attempts and was 21-of-22 in FG tries last season for Michigan. The senior is obviously an accomplished kicker, but I would caution overlooking Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell, a transfer from UTSA.
Also, side note, it does appear OU got themselves a kicker in Tate Sandell. He nailed all his kicks including a 50 yarder. pic.twitter.com/4OTQg8U5bD
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) August 1, 2025
The word coming out of Oklahoma fall camp is that the UTSA transfer has been impressive. The redshirt junior made 19 of 23 field-goal tries last season, including a program-record 54-yarder. Sandell also had 62 touchbacks on 85 kickoffs last season. As a final note, I'm not sure Popio knows that much about the OU kicker, given that he spelled his name as "Tate Mandell."
Incidentally, if what the GBMWolverine article is suggesting were to actually happen, it would even up the all-time series between the two schools at one game apiece. Oklahoma won the previous meeting 14-6 in the 1976 Orange Bowl. That victory and a loss by No. 1 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl earlier in the day combined to give the Sooners their fifth national championship and the second under head coach Barry Switzer.
For Oklahoma, the biggest unknown with just three weeks to go before the new seasons kicks off is how much improved the Sooners' offense is going to be with all the offseason changes and how new OU quarterback John Mateer and Co. will fare going against a Michigan defense that was ranked 10th in the country last season.
Flipping the coin, we also have no idea how the Michigan offense, which ranked 129th a year ago in total offense nationally -- actually16 spots worse than Oklahoma, if you can believe that -- will do against a Sooner defense directed by Venables that should be even better than last season's stellar performance.
With all due respect to those who diehard Michigan fans who bleed maize and blue, I believe Oklahoma is the better of the two teams going into the 2025 season despite the fact that Michigan is ranked 14th in the preseason coaches poll, while the Sooners were left out of the initial 2025 season ranking by the panel of coaches.
Home-field advantage goes to Oklahoma, and that's a bigger factor than it might seem, especially considering the Sooners have a record of 144-15 in regularly scheduled games at home since the start of the 1999 season, one of the best home records in the country over that span. All 159 of those games have been sellouts, which adds to the distraction that Oklahoma home opponents must be prepared to deal with.
I believe it will be a close game, but that Oklahoma pulls away late and wins by double digits, thus negating the chance for Michigan's Zvada to win the game for the Wolverines with his leg.
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