Oklahoma again faces one of the country's hardest schedules in 2026

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Ever since the Oklahoma Sooners joined the Southeastern Conference, they’ve faced one of the hardest schedules in college football each season. That’s once again the case in 2026, as OU’s third year in the conference sees the Sooners face another brutal slate of games.

Pete Fiutak, a writer for College Football News, released his strength of schedule rankings for all 138 teams at the FBS level for the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, the SEC, the nation’s toughest conference, was well-represented at the top. Fiutak ranked the Sooners as having the No. 2 hardest schedule in the nation for 2026, behind only Alabama.

In Fiutak’s rankings, the Sooners fell just a half of a point behind the Crimson Tide, and those two teams were far and way the two with the toughest 2026 schedules on his list. Oklahoma plays home games against UTEP, New Mexico, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M this season, with games on the road against Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi State, Florida, and Missouri. Of course, the Sooners will also face Texas at a neutral site in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl for the annual playing of the Red River Rivalry.

A gauntlet in the SEC has been the norm for the Sooners, but the program continues to run into the jungle, not away from it. Head coach Brent Venables has repeatedly emphasized that Oklahoma welcomes and even embraces the reality of its yearly tough schedules.

With another difficult path facing them in 2026, the Sooners will be tested like anyone else in the entire nation this fall.

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Schedule

  • Sept. 5 vs. UT-El Paso Miners in Norman, Okla.
  • Sept. 12 at Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Sept. 19 vs. New Mexico Lobos in Norman, Okla.
  • Sept. 26 at Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia
  • Oct. 3 BYE WEEK
  • Oct. 10 vs. Texas Longhorns in Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas
  • Oct. 17 vs. Kentucky Wildcats in Norman, Okla.
  • Oct. 24 at Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
  • Oct. 31 vs. South Carolina Gamecocks in Norman, Okla.
  • Nov. 7 at Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
  • Nov. 14 vs. Ole Miss Rebels in Norman, Okla.
  • Nov. 21 vs. Texas A&M Aggies in Norman, Okla.
  • Nov. 28 at Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: OU’s schedule is once again unforgiving in 2026

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