SEC Summer School: Oklahoma Sooners

Big Blue Nation has been locked in for every move Will Stein has made during the Kentucky football offseason. But what about the rest of the SEC? Kentucky plays a Top 10 schedule in college football. The logos are daunting, but what’s really going on with each program? Take a step into KSR’s SEC Summer School to learn more about the Wildcats’ 2026 opponents. This fall, Kentucky is traveling to Norman, Oklahoma for the first time since 1980.

SEC Summer School: Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Alabama, Vanderbilt

Oklahoma: By the Numbers

Returning Production: No. 16 (65%)
SP+ Ranking: No. 12
ESPN Post-Spring Top 25: 13
On3 SEC Power Rankings: No. 4

Was it Fool’s Gold for Oklahoma?

Brent Venables took Oklahoma back to the CFP for the first time since Jalen Hurts‘ squad was run off the field by Joe Burrow‘s LSU Tigers in 2019. They did it with an offense that scored fewer points than Auburn. They averaged only 5.32 yards per play and finished ranked No. 51 in SP+ offensive efficiency.

Despite the offensive offense, Oklahoma beat Michigan, then secured wins at Alabama and Tennessee. The Sooners’ defense was suffocating, allowing an SEC-best 15.5 points per game while finishing the regular season with more sacks and tackles for loss than any other team. Aside from their star EDGE, R Mason Thomas, everyone is returning, giving Sooner fans a reason to believe they can be even better in 2026.

John Mateer’s Throwing Motion

John Mateer was the September Heisman. Then the Washington State transfer broke a bone in his throwing hand. He surprisingly did not miss any significant games, returning in time for the Red River Shootout, but he was clearly not the same player.

“It’s like throwing a baseball without your two fingers,” Mateer recently told On3. “I had to hold the ball flatter, be under it. I couldn’t really get over the top of it as much, and I just had to adapt to make it work. It was OK. 
You know, I mean, we all saw what it ended up being. But it’s better now.”

In addition to his injury, critics put a laser-focus on his throwing motion. Every clip has been over-analyzed. Will he be the September Heisman or the guy who threw a pick-six and blew a 17-0 lead at home in the CFP?

OKLAHOMA HAS COLLAPSED.

WE ARE TIED IN NORMAN. pic.twitter.com/mQQFHScYSs

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) December 20, 2025

Improved Supporting Cast

Mateer was the September Heisman because he was a one-man show for the Sooners. Take away the sack yards, and he was Oklahoma’s leading rusher. The wide receivers offered very little outside of Isaiah Sategna, and the offensive line was completely rebuilt from the year prior.

This offseason, the Sooners kept together the core of their offensive line, led by former five-star Michael Fasusi. To supplement Sategna, they brought in Virginia’s leading wide receiver, Trell Harris, and a 6-foot-4 target from Texas, Parker Livingstone. The running game is still a lingering question. Being one-dimensional might be able to get them back to the CFP, but they won’t be able to do anything with it.

2026 Oklahoma Football Schedule

Oklahoma is going to Michigan and Georgia in the first month of the season and it’s just one reason why they have the second-toughest schedule in college football.

Date	Opponent	Location
Sept. 4 (Fri.)	UTEP	Norman, OK
Sept. 12	at Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI
Sept. 19	New Mexico	Norman, OK
Sept. 26	at Georgia	Athens, GA
Oct. 3	Bye	—
Oct. 10	Texas	Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl)
Oct. 17	Kentucky	Norman, OK
Oct. 24	at Mississippi State	Starkville, MS
Oct. 31	South Carolina	Norman, OK
Nov. 7	at Florida	Gainesville, FL
Nov. 14	Ole Miss	Norman, OK
Nov. 21	Texas A&M	Norman, OK
Nov. 28	at LSU	Baton Rouge, LA

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