After Rolling in the Opener, Oklahoma's First Major Road Test is Here

The No. 10 Sooners travel north to take on No. 16 Michigan in their first major road battle of the 2026 season.

Oklahoma receiver Isaiah Sategna runs through a tackle in last year's victory over Michigan. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

NORMAN — With UTEP in the rearview, the real fun begins for Oklahoma.

The No. 10 Sooners travel to The Big House to take on No. 16 Michigan next week in the return trip for last year’s victory over the Wolverines. 

That contest served as a coming-out party for OU quarterback John Mateer, who briefly vaulted to the front of way-too-early Heisman Trophy conversations before his hand injury disrupted the 2025 season. 

A year later, Mateer is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead. 

“We're all excited to have an opportunity to go play at a great, historic stadium,” he said after Friday’s 51-0 victory. “We're excited about the opportunity. … We'll watch them (Saturday) night and then get ready to go Sunday.”

Moving the opener up to Friday came with a few perks for Oklahoma. 

First, it allowed the Sooners to play at night, where things cooled off slightly as opposed to the heat wave that many programs had to play through across the country on Saturday afternoon. 

It also gives OU an extra day of rest, as Michigan battled Western Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday night. 

It may not seem like much, but the Sooners are hoping to use every extra moment possible to their advantage. 

“I think it’s going to be super important,” Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke said on Friday night. “Michigan does a lot of good stuff. The staff coming from Utah, they’re gonna put up a fight so we’ve got to be ready for a lot of different things. 

“And an extra day of film, an extra day of rest going into the week, it all adds up. So I think it was a good call and we’re really looking forward to this week.”

For many on the roster, it will be a trip to another big-time venue after OU successfully navigated trips to Neyland Stadium in Knoxville and Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in 2025. 

The Sooners hope to get back key pieces of the offensive line that helped notch those victories: center Jake Maikkula and do-everything-man Ryan Fodje. 

But Saturday will represent the first major trip for a handful of key players, like freshman offensive lineman Noah Best, who will need to settle in quickly with a trip to Georgia looming two weeks after the battle in The Big House. 

“I’m so excited,” Best said. “It’ll be fun — one of those experiences.”

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