Ranking Oklahoma Sooners opponents from easiest to toughest
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The Oklahoma Sooners are considered to have one of the most difficult schedules in the country in 2026. Who knows if it'll actually play out that way this season. Last year it was one of the most difficult slates, and the Sooners navigated it to a 10-2 record and a College Football Playoff appearance.
This year's schedule doesn't provide a smooth takeoff. There will be turbulent air the first six weeks of the season when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines, head to Athens for the first time in program history to face the Georgia Bulldogs, and then take the bus down to Dallas for a date with Texas in the Red River Showdown.
How the Sooners handle those three games in the first half of the season, with UTEP and New Mexico interspersed, will have a huge impact on how successful the 2026 season will be for the boys from Norman.
If you're simply a college football fan, it's a fun slate with some incredible matchups that will determine playoff positioning. But how does each game stack up? We ranked each of the matchups from easiest to toughest for the 2026 season.
12. UTEP Miners
The UTEP Miners have had just two winning seasons since 2006, going 2-10 in 2025. They did hold the Texas Longhorns to just 27 points in week three of the season. There's not a lot of returning production for the Miners, ranking 129th in offensive returning production and No. 99 in defensive returning production.
11. New Mexico Lobos
The Lobos rank No. 21 in the nation in ESPN's returning production for the 2026 season. In year one under head coach Jason Eck, New Mexico went 9-4, losing 20-17 to Minnesota in the Rate Bowl. It was their first winning season since 2016. It's a veteran group that will come to play when they face the Sooners in Week 3.
10. Kentucky Wildcats
There's a lot of buzz around the Wildcats under first-year head coach Will Stein. But that buzz is likely going to be drowned out by the sounds of "Boomer Sooner." When OU hosts Kentucky, it will be the first time playing in front of the home crowd in nearly a month after playing at Georgia and against Texas in the Red River Showdown. You can imagine the players will be hyped to be home.
9. Mississippi State Bulldogs
We don't want this to seem like we're sleeping on Mississippi State. They took Texas to the limit last year, and Starkville can be a tough place to play. Jeff Lebby is building a competitive team that has the skill talent to make life uncomfortable for even the best defenses. Just ask the Longhorns. But relative to the rest of the schedule, this one isn't as tough.
8. South Carolina Gamecocks
The Oklahoma Sooners went on the road and beat South Carolina last year but will likely see a better version of the Gamecocks this year. The game is in Norman and closes out the month of October on Halloween. The Sooners will need this one before heading to Florida to kick off a November run that also features games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Missouri to close the season.
7. Missouri Tigers
The Missouri Tigers are one of the more intriguing teams in the SEC for 2026. Nobody is expecting them to win the SEC but they'll have an offense that can be a threat. Austin Simmons has big upside and the running game will be pretty good again, even if Ahmad Hardy isn't ready to start the season. Oklahoma had the game up in Columbia back in 2024 before literally fumbling the game away in the final couple of minutes.
6. Florida Gators
Jon Sumrall is one of the best coaches in college football after a successful run at Tulane and will have the Florida Gators returning to prominence soon. But will it be in 2026? The challenge here is that the Sooners have to go to Gainesville, one of the tougher places to play in college football.
5. Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M was an 11-win team in 2025 and made the College Football Playoff. They've recruited as well as anyone but it's hard to know exactly where they stand. Last year, they played just five Power Four games against teams with a winning record, going 3-2 on the year, losing their last two games.
4. Michigan Wolverines
Going to Ann Arbor is no joke. Week 2 of the season will have the Michigan faithful still believing anything is possible. You can imagine Bryce Underwood and company will want to put forth a better effort this season than the one they did last year against Brent Venables defense.
3. Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels were a couple of plays away from the national championship game. They bring back the best quarterback in college football in Trinidad Chambliss, and head coach Pete Golding knows how to call a defense. The Sooners are 0-2 against the Rebels in the all-time series, which dates back to 2024. Can Oklahoma finally get in the win column?
2. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns were picked to finish second in the SEC and are a national title contender. The Longhorns are considered a national title contender. They have one of the most talented rosters in college football. But so does Oklahoma. It's the Red River Showdown, so there's telling what will happen. Here's hoping the Sooners avoid any quarterback drama leading into this one.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Since 2017, the Georgia Bulldogs have lost just two games in Athens under Kirby Smart. One of those was last season, when Alabama earned a win over the Dawgs. The time before that was in 2019. The Oklahoma Sooners have proven capable of playing well and winning in hostile SEC road environments. They'll need to do it again to knock off the defending SEC champions. Do it for the 2019 Sooners.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Ranking Oklahoma Sooners opponents from easiest to toughest
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