Why Being an Underdog 'Isn't a Bad Thing' as Oklahoma Prepares for Georgia
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NORMAN – The Sooners, understandably, aren't getting much love from Las Vegas as they head into their game at Georgia.
OU opened the week as a 14-point underdog for its showdown against the No. 2 Bulldogs in Athens on Saturday.
The large spread comes after back-to-back dismal performances from OU. The Sooners lost 17-10 in Ann Arbor in Week 2 before edging out a 14-6 win over New Mexico at home in Week 3.
As bleak as the last two weeks have been for Oklahoma, defensive back Reggie Powers III hasn't lost any confidence – and he still believes that his team is more than capable of pulling off a stunner.
"Being an underdog isn't a bad thing," Powers said. "It puts some more confidence on our chest because we want to go out and prove everybody wrong and prove ourself right because we know that we can compete with anybody in the country."
In 2025, the Sooners were underdogs three times – and they won two of those games. OU defeated both Tennessee and Alabama on the road in contests where its opponents were favored.
"We're excited for every game, but especially the games where you can go prove everybody wrong and just have fun on the road," Powers said. "Just like last year, we had big road games… we just went in there with a focused mindset, and that took care of itself."
Defensive end Adepoju Adebawore said, "It's nothing new for us. Regardless of how the outsiders may view us as the underdogs or the favored ones, we're going to come with our minds ready to attack and ultimately go 1-0."
If the Sooners had won in Ann Arbor and won more comfortably against New Mexico, they would still be underdogs, but by a much smaller margin.
Offensive lineman Heath Ozaeta views the road test in the same lens that he did before the Sooners played their first game of 2026.
"If we won the last three games and we were a 2.5-point underdog, I think I would approach this game the same way," Ozaeta said.
Georgia, which has won the SEC in back-to-back years, is 3-0 with wins over Arkansas, Western Kentucky and Tennessee State. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 173-40.
Sanford Stadium is also notoriously known for being one of college football's most raucous venues, as the Bulldogs are 93-5 in the 93,033-seat venue throughout coach Kirby Smart's tenure.
The Sooners are excited for the challenge that awaits them. But they also know that the margin for error is razor-thin as they make the trek to Athens.
"They're a really good football team, and I think we have to respect them, come ready to go," Ozaeta said.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahoma as Why Being an Underdog 'Isn't a Bad Thing' as Oklahoma Prepares for Georgia.
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