Oklahoma vs UTEP Prediction: Odds, expert picks, team and player news, betting trends, and stats

The Oklahoma Sooners welcome the UTEP Miners to Memorial Stadium for their 2026 openers. Oklahoma looks to repeat its success in 2025 and make the College Football Playoff behind its star quarterback John Mateer, while UTEP would be happy to improve own its two wins last season.

Oklahoma was projected to finish seventh in the SEC Preseason Poll this season, which is likely a smack in the face to this team. The Sooners won all four road regular season games last year, but lost at home to Ole Miss (34-26) and on a neutral field versus Texas (23-6). Oklahoma's defense held eight opponents to less than 20 points last season and the offense only reached 30 points four times. The Sooners will have another stout defense with plenty of returners, but all eyes will be on quarterback John Mateer and how he meshes with all of his new toys at wide receiver and tight end.

UTEP will have to overcome all it lost in the portal following a 2-10 record in Scotty Walden's second season as head coach. The Miners signed quarterback EJ Colson Jr. (16 TDs to 4 INT) and LB Isaiah Bogerty (74 tackles) to help steward the success of each unit. The Miners have not won a bowl game since 1967, but even getting to bowl eligibility could prove tricky this year — UTEP has won eight games over the past three seasons.

Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.

Game Details and How to Watch UTEP at Oklahoma

• Date: Friday, September 4, 2026
• Time: 8:00PM Eastern
• Site: Memorial Stadium
• City: Norman, OK
• TV/Streaming: SEC Network

Game Odds for Oklahoma vs UTEP

The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Oklahoma Sooners (N/A), UTEP Miners (N/A)
• Spread: Oklahoma -41.5 (-105)
• Total: 51.5 points

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the college football schedule!

Oklahoma Sooners

Head Coach: Brent Venables
2025 Record: 10-3 (6-2)
Offensive Points Per Game: 25.5 (73rd)
Defensive Points Per Game: 16.5 (6th)
2025 Strength of Schedule: 14th
2026 Strength of Schedule: 3rd

The Oklahoma Sooners Offense:

Entering 2026, Oklahoma will have one of its best receiving rooms under Brent Venables. The Sooners bring back leading wide out, Isaiah Satenga III (965 yards, 8 TDs), added Parker Livingstone from Texas (516 yards, 3 TDs), Trell Harris from Virginia (847 yards, 5 TDs), plus tight ends Hayden Hansen from Florida (6-foot-8, 270 lbs, 254 yards, 2 TDs) and Rocky Beers from Colorado State (388 yards, 7 TDs). With John Mateer back under center, the offense should average more than last year's 25.5 points per game and the Sooners have legitimate hopes to make it back to the playoff.

Oklahoma Player to Watch on Offense: QB John Mateer

In his first season with Oklahoma, John Mateer led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and a 9-3 record when he was under center. Mateer injured his hand early in the season, which slowed him down and forced him to miss one game. However, Mateer was a problem for opponents with his legs. At Washington State in 2024, Mateer had 15 rushing touchdowns and 826 yards. In 2025, Mateer registered eight rushing touchdowns and 431 yards. If he is 100-percent healthy, Mateer could post numbers closer to his 2024 season with Washington State rather than his 2025 numbers with Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners Defense:

Not enough people talked about how dominant the Oklahoma defense was in 2025. The Sooners held their first five opponents to 36 total points for 7.2 points per game. Only four teams, but five times, recorded a least 21 points against Oklahoma (Texas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Alabama twice). The Sooners went 2-3 in those games. Oklahoma ranked fourth in third-down defensive percentage (29.2%) and second in rushing yards allowed per game (74.0). Five of the top eight tacklers are back from a year ago. Oklahoma should have a top 15 defense in the country again.

Oklahoma Player to Watch on Defense: LB Kip Lewis

Oklahoma returns their leading tackler from a year ago, Kip Lewis. The senior linebacker recorded a team-high 76 tackles last season and added 4.0 sacks and four pass deflections. Lewis had 63 tackles in 2024, which was third on the team and he also led the squad with both of his interceptions returned for touchdowns. Lewis is a ballhawk and the leader of the defense. Last year, he totaled three games of double-digit tackles and six games with six or more tackles. Lewis will likely make All Big-12 first or second team this season.

Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.

UTEP Miners

Head Coach: Scotty Walden
2025 Record: 2-10 (1-7)
Offensive Points Per Game: 21.6 (102nd)
Defensive Points Per Game: 31.6 (107th)
2025 Strength of Schedule: 110th
2026 Strength of Schedule: 72nd

The UTEP Miners Offense:

UTEP played four quarterbacks last season and totaled 21 touchdowns to 20 interceptions, along with a 54.5 completion percentage. All four of those quarterbacks depart, so this is a 100-percent new room as they look for the leader of the Miners' offense. EJ Colson Jr. is the guy for now. He transfers in from one year with Incarnate Word and another with UCF. UTEP also enters the season losing their top three rushers from a year ago, top five lineman and top seven receivers. UTEP surely looks like it will take a step back from 21.6 points per game in 2025 (102nd).

UTEP Player to Watch on Offense: QB EJ Colson Jr.

UTEP has a completely new offense, not bringing back a single top contributor at quarterback, running back, or receiver. They will turn to EJ Colson Jr. at quarterback to lead the way. At Incarnate Word, Colson recorded 2,142 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions with an impressive 70.9 completion percentage. On the ground, the redshirt sophomore carried the ball 108 times for 287 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. Colson has not started against an FBS opponent, but he did play a few drives for UCF in 2024 against Cincinnati and Utah (9/16 for 78 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). This will be arguably the toughest test of the year for the Miners quarterback.

The UTEP Miners Defense:

The Miners only return four starters from a year ago, but they return three of the top six tacklers, plus landed LB Isaiah Bogerty (Texas Southern, 74 tackles) in the portal. UTEP was top 20 in tackles for loss as a team last year, and while they lost their leading tackler and seven defensive lineman, UTEP did hit the transfer portal to bring in plenty of competition for starting positions. Only Liberty (19), UT Martin (17), and Sam Houston (17) were held under 20 points by UTEP last year. The other nine teams combined to average 34.6 points per game.

UTEP Player to Watch on Defense: LB Isaiah Bogerty

After spending the past four seasons with Texas Southern, Isaiah Bogerty transferred to UTEP and is expected to be one of the defensive leaders for the Miners. Bogerty led Texas Southern in tackles last year with 74, which would have been third for UTEP. The Miners lose their leading tackler, LB Micah Davey (131 tackles) and get back LB Jayden Wilson (92 tackles). Davey's production will be hard to produce, but Bogerty should find plenty of success next to Wilson.

Oklahoma and UTEP Team Stats, Betting Trends

• Oklahoma was 6-6-1 ATS last season
• UTEP was 3-9 ATS last season, ranking third-worst
• Oklahoma was 10-3 to the Under, ranking third-worst
• UTEP was 8-4 to the Over last season, ranking tied for 9th-best
• Oklahoma was 2-5-1 ATS at home last season
• UTEP was 2-4 ATS on the road last season
• Oklahoma was 6-2 to the Under at home last season
• UTEP was 4-2 to the Over on the road last season and 3-2 to as a road underdog

Rotoworld Best Bets

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans a live bet in UTEP at Oklahoma:

"One of the interesting spreads of the weekend is Oklahoma laying -41.5 points. The Sooners are 100-percent the better team in every way and UTEP is completely overmatched with all of the outgoing transfers and limited returners, but 42 points is a lot. The best bet for this game is wait for Oklahoma to score the spread could reach somewhere between 48.5 and 54.5 if the Sooners go up 14-0 in the first quarter. Then I would be included to grab UTEP. This is a Miners or pass spot, but I'd much rather prefer to bet this game live."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)