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Oklahoma's 2026 Opener Kick-Off Time Now Set

OU's date with UTEP gets an interesting start time.
Brady Trantham|
Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

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Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma's 2026 schedule is now (somewhat) fully set.

The Sooners will host the UTEP Miners on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. It is the second Friday night home opener ever for the program.

As of now, it will be OU's second night game — week three's New Mexico kick-off time is set for 7:30 p.m. — while the SEC announced that five of Oklahoma's nine conference games have the 3:30-8 p.m. flex window.

"Moving our home opener against UTEP to Friday night presents a unique opportunity to showcase Oklahoma Football," said athletic director Roger Denny in a statement released by the univeristy. "Historically, early-season games in Oklahoma can present significant heat challenges, and a Friday night kickoff provides a more comfortable environment for our student-athletes, fans and game-day staff."

Oklahoma Sooners Roger Denny
Oklahoma Athletic Director Roger Denny | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Two years ago, OU moved their opener with Temple to Friday night — which the Sooners won easily 51-3. Formerly, Oklahoma played numerous Friday games during the Big 8 era with their rivalry with Nebraska. The Sooners have a 61-21-2 record all-time on Friday (including a 2-6 record in bowl/College Football Playoff games.

Oklahoma has played 17 regular season Friday games and are 11-6 in those contests. OU has won 20 straight home openers dating back to the Bob Stoops era.

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"Friday night games are rare for us, especially at home," Brent Venables said. "So the opportunity to open our season under the lights on a Friday evening on Owen Field is exciting for our team. I expect the environment to be absolutely incredible, and I know our players will feed off the electricity."

OU has done this before. In 2019, Oklahoma moved the opener against Houston to a Sunday night affair. Jalen Hurts passed for three touchdowns and rushed for three more in a 49-31 victory.

Denny shared that the game will be streamed digitally on SEC Network+. "(This) allows us to be more intentional about selecting a date and kickoff time," Denny added.

Oklahoma hopes to build off their 2025 season where they finished 10-2 in the regular season, earning a berth in the College Football Playoff. OU dropped their first round matchup in a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide, played in Norman. Oklahoma will have one BYE week this year with the SEC moving to nine conference games.

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Brady Trantham
BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.

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