How Does the Sooners on SI Staff Think Oklahoma Will Perform in its Opener vs. UTEP?

John Hoover

Oklahoma needs a fast start to the 2026 season — and a healthy one. Michigan awaits, and after returning home in two weeks to host New Mexico, OU visits Georgia and then Texas in Dallas. That’s three top-16 opponents, all away from home, and navigating that will require a smooth night against the Miners. The o-line could be missing a couple of starters as they try to get fully healthy for the immediate future, so John Mateer should be out of the game early. The defense will be dominant, but it won’t be a major wipeout on the scoreboard as Brent Venables gets his starters some rest in the second half.

Final: Oklahoma 42, UTEP 10

Ryan Chapman

Brent Venables' defense has been rebuilt to the point that a patchwork UTEP offense, even when battling against the Sooners' backups late in Friday's contest, shouldn't sniff the end zone. But all of the intrigue in the season opener will be on the other side of the ball. The offensive overhaul, complete with how quarterback John Mateer will develop, has been the story of the offseason in Norman. In Game 1, there should be no concerns. Even with Caleb Nitta filling in at center, I expect the OU offense to run all over UTEP, which will open up a few shots downfield in the passing game before offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle turns the game over to his backups and really starts to hide all of his good stuff from Michigan.

Final: Oklahoma 45, UTEP 0

Carson Field

Friday’s opener against UTEP will make last year’s Week 1 game against Illinois State — which OU won 35-3 — look like a barn burner. The Miners are one of the absolute worst programs that compete at the FBS level, as they have logged just one winning season since 2015. Under coach Scotty Walden, who enters his third season at UTEP, the Miners are 5-19, and they managed to win only one game against an FBS opponent last year. OU, on the other hand, is fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance. The Sooners struggled offensively in the back half of the season, but their defense carried them to the CFP. OU’s defense should be similarly stellar in 2026, while its players and coaches are cautiously optimistic that the offense will get better. Oklahoma will roll in Week 1 with a lopsided win, and because UTEP is such an unworthy foe, it will be hard to gauge how much the Sooners’ offense has improved.

Final: Oklahoma 48, UTEP 3

Ryan Aber

The Sooners can out-athlete UTEP at every level. But that was the case last year in the season opener when they beat Illinois State 35-3. There were some cracks to be seen in Oklahoma's offense in that game that continued to be exposed throughout the season. That won't happen here, as the Sooners are able to run the ball effectively, protect John Mateer in the pocket and create a handful of explosive plays to put the game away by halftime. There are still plenty of bigger tests on the horizon for the Sooners but they get off to a much better start this time around as they control the Miners from start to finish. The defense sets up the offense in strong field position several times and Ben Arbuckle's offense takes advantage of it to help give Oklahoma a blowout win to start 2026.

Final: Oklahoma 55, UTEP 3

Brady Trantham

The Sooners haven't surrendered a touchdown in the opening game since Brent Venables became head coach in 2022. OU didn't score half-a-hundred once in 2025 — their last games scoring over 50+ came in wins over Maine and Temple in 2024 (and even the win over the Owls had a special teams touchdown). The Sooners show progress has been made on offense by dismantling the visitors quickly and getting reserves some reps early on.

Final: Oklahoma 55, UTEP 3

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