Oklahoma vs Michigan Prediction: Who's Ready To Prove They're CFP Good?
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With all due respect to Oklahoma, we know it’s really good – maybe better than last year – and it’s coming into the showdown in Ann Arbor after pitching a near-perfect game. This is about Michigan.
Anything interesting happening with the Wolverine program lately?
Whether or not you believe Western Michigan was totally hosed in the 13-12 Michigan win – getting a second shot at a Hail Mary with one second put back on the clock – or if you think it’s a lot of hullabaloo about nothing, one thing out of that wonderfully delicious hot mess is crystal clear: Michigan is in for a very, very long year if it’s not night-and-day better than it showed last Saturday night.
Either the Western Michigan game was a case of the Week 1s, and the real team will show up running out of the tunnel, or Oklahoma is about to have a whole lot of fun.
Oklahoma vs Michigan: Quick Hits
- Oklahoma beat Michigan 24-13 last year in Norman. It seems impossible, but this is just the third meeting between the two powerhouse programs – OU won 14-6 in the Orange Bowl to end the 1975 season.
- Michigan gets a bit of a breather next against UTEP before starting the Big Ten season against Iowa.
- Oklahoma already blasted UTEP 51-0 last week. It gets a sneaky-tough game against New Mexico next, before a massive showdown at Georgia to start the SEC season.
How To Watch Oklahoma vs Michigan
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Game Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV: ABC
Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
– Week 2 Schedule, Picks
– CFN Expert Picks: Week 2
Why Oklahoma Will Win
Bryce Underwood.
The Michigan quarterback has all the talent in the world. He’s still very young with a ton of upside, and he was flat awful against Western Michigan. Now, he did complete one very important 47-yard touchdown pass – the guy threw it 60 yards off his back foot while getting tattooed – but that overshadowed a rough day when he was missing too many throws.
Even worse, he led the team with 47 rushing yards – the backs didn’t do much of anything. Oklahoma gave up one big run to UTEP, and that was about it. The defensive front is once again a force that should be all in 19’s face all game long.
Why Michigan Will Win
Totally lost in everything about the Western Michigan game was how the Wolverine defense shut down the Broncos.
That might not seem like a big deal – whoop-dee-doo, Michigan is supposed to beat the team from the MAC – but Western Michigan is good enough to roll through the rest of its schedule and be in the mix for the Group of Six champion’s playoff spot.
The Broncos only gained 191 yards and never got into the end zone. Michigan’s defensive front is more than good enough to handle the heavy lifting against Oklahoma, too, and it starts by keeping star quarterback John Mateer from getting time to let the downfield plays develop.
Oklahoma vs Michigan Prediction, Betting Lines
This hasn’t been fair to Oklahoma. Michigan was the big story in college football this week, and everything that happened against Western Michigan made this showdown an existential moment in just the second game of the Kyle Whittingham era.
But this should be about Oklahoma and how strong it is. John Mateer is healthy, his receiving corps is in one piece, and the defense will once again be among the best in America.
Underwood was challenged this week, and he’ll look great here and there, but he won’t be consistent. The Sooner defense will take care of the Wolverine ground game in a second straight low-scoring defensive fight between these two.
Oklahoma 23, Michigan 16
Latest Consensus Line: Oklahoma -5.5, o/u: 43.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 3
Must See Rating (out of 5): 5
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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