How Much of a Threat Is Oklahoma to Ole Miss in 2026?
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Ole Miss will be taking on the Oklahoma Sooners in week 12 of the 2026 season.
The last time the Rebels took a road trip to Norman, they won 34-26. That same Oklahoma team finished fifth in the SEC and will have a very similar team in this upcoming season.
The Sooners will be a huge threat to the Rebels because of the time they play them and the players Oklahoma has retained from last year's squad.
Capping off the gauntlet
The Rebels have one of the hardest schedules in college football this season. This Sooners team helps that case.
Before Ole Miss even gets to this game, they will have a three-week stretch that will be very tough for them.
From October 17th to November 7th, the Rebels will take on Texas, Auburn, and Georgia.
The gauntlet starts in Austin, where Ole Miss will be in one of the most hostile environments of the season.
After that, they return to Oxford to play Auburn. The Tigers had a rough year last year, but as seen many times before, anything can happen in the SEC, and if the Rebels aren't careful, they could be upset.
Finally, the Georgia Bulldogs come into town. This will be a battle that could go either way. The Dogs will be looking for revenge in Mississippi.
If the Rebels can survive all those games, they will be treated to a road game in Norman. They will be heading to another very hostile environment. After that three game stint, they will be tired and will have to prepare themselves for another battle, or the Sooners are going to walk all over them.
Returning offensive players
The Ole Miss defense will have its hands full with a key duo coming back to Oklahoma. Quarterback John Mateer and wide receiver Isaiah Satenga III have to be at the top of Pete Golding's mind when preparing his squad for this game.
In 2025, Mateer threw for 2,885 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for an additional eight touchdowns. He also led his program to its first playoff appearance since 2019. He didn't have the greatest game against the Rebels last season. He threw for 223 yards and one touchdown.
Nevertheless, he is still a threat and could beat Ole Miss through the air or with his legs.
The Rebels will also have to keep an eye out on a familiar target for Mateer.
Satenga will be all over the field. Last year, he hauled in 67 catches for 965 yards. He will be a problem for the Ole Miss secondary. He will most likely require double coverage for a lot of the Sooners' possessions. The rest of the Rebel defensive backs will have to stay close to their man, or Mateer could find another receiver wide open because of all the attention on Satenga.
The Rebels learned how good Sategna is last year when he had 131 yards and a touchdown on six catches.
Ole Miss will get a breather after this game when they come home to play Wofford, but it will be a hard road before then. The Rebels cannot look ahead at all this season, or they will be caught off guard, especially during this stretch. They will have a week to forget about whatever happens against Georgia and prepare for a tough road environment against the Oklahoma Sooners.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/olemiss as How Much of a Threat Is Oklahoma to Ole Miss in 2026?.
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