How Do the Sooners on SI Staff Think Oklahoma's Contest With New Mexico Will Shape Up?

John Hoover

Let’s face it. John Mateer usually puts up big numbers against small opponents. It’s the big teams (the good teams) he struggles with — like Michigan. So plucky New Mexico will come to Norman with the right mindset and will be competitive early, but Mateer should settle in early against the Lobos and the Oklahoma defense will dominate their end. OU might not cover the 22 1/2, but it will be a comfortable night in Norman for the home team.

Final: Oklahoma 30, New Mexico 13

Ryan Chapman

Just like Michigan was expected to put forth a better effort last week (though no staff members at Sooners on SI thought the bounce-back would be good enough to upend the Sooners!), quarterback John Mateer will likely play much better against New Mexico. But the Lobos are still a well-coached team with the ability to produce stops on Owen Field. Though I don’t anticipate OU getting off to a slow start, real separation might not occur until the third quarter. It would be a shock for the Sooners to suddenly run all over New Mexico, but the defense will hold strong and the offense will make enough plays to revive optimism ahead of a massive matchup in Athens next weekend.

Final: Oklahoma 34, New Mexico 13

Carson Field

The New Mexico squad that will come to Norman on Saturday is no joke. Last year, in their first year under coach Jason Eck, the Lobos went 9-4 and took Minnesota to overtime in the Rate Bowl. UNM is 2-0 so far in 2026 with lopsided wins over Central Michigan and Mercyhurst. New Mexico’s defense, led by Brett Karhu and Jaxton Eck, is one of the Group of Six’s best and will present plenty of challenges to Oklahoma’s limping offense. The talent gap between OU and UNM is substantial — and it should be enough for the Sooners to win by multiple scores. That said, I don’t expect a rout. The 22.5-point spread seems high considering how bad Oklahoma’s offense looked in Ann Arbor. OU’s defense will prevent this game from ever being too close for comfort. But it’s hard to picture the offense operating at peak efficiency — and it wouldn’t surprise me if the fans at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium greeted the unit with boos.

Final: Oklahoma 27, New Mexico 16

Ryan Aber

Unless this game is tight deep in the fourth quarter, the result itself is of little consequence. Oklahoma needs a bounce-back performance — primarily offensively — after last week’s 17-10 defeat. Though New Mexico is a stout Group of Five program under Jason Eck, the Sooners will be able to win this one just based on athleticism. How OU does it will determine how things feel heading into the two-game gauntlet of Georgia and Texas that awaits the Sooners. Offensively, the checklist is lengthy — a strong game plan from Ben Arbuckle, better execution from John Mateer, more consistency among the offensive line, running the ball effectively and establishing receivers outside of Isaiah Sategna and Rocky Beers with Trell Harris out. A strong performance here won’t erase the memories of last week but if those things happen, at least there’ll be some hope for Oklahoma moving forward this season.

Final: Oklahoma 38, New Mexico 10

Brady Trantham

The Sooners know the road ahead of them. They're not going to have things fully figured out, but if they're going to give themselves a chance against Georgia and Texas, they need to begin executing on offense and cleaning up tackling issues on defense against New Mexico. A sloppy first half leads to some uncomfortable feelings at Owen Field, but the Sooners' talent wins out in the second half and OU pulls away.

Final: Oklahoma 31, New Mexico 14

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google