Ranking the Top Five Coaches Who Will Face Oklahoma in 2026

In 2026, the Sooners will face off against a handful of coaches who have led their teams to the College Football Playoff in recent years.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart complains about a inadvertent time out call as Auburn Tigers take on Georgia Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. Georgia Bulldogs defeated Auburn Tigers 20-10. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — The 2026 season marked Brent Venables’ best season as Oklahoma’s head coach.

In his fourth year leading the Sooners, he took them to their first College Football Playoff since 2019. OU ended the regular season with four wins in a row — against Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU — before falling to Alabama in the College Football Playoff First Round.

OU’s 2026 slate features a new challenge for Venables, as the Sooners will play nine SEC games for the first time. Venables will be tasked with outcoaching some of the most accomplished minds in college football throughout the season.

Here are the top five coaches Oklahoma will face in 2026:

5. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri

Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz reacts to play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Missouri has yet to become a serious national title contender Eliah Drinkwitz, but the Tigers are significantly better than they were when he took the job in 2020.

Drinkwitz is 46-29 as Mizzou’s head coach, and he has reached bowl eligibility in each of his seasons in Columbia. Missouri went a combined 25-25 in the four seasons before Drinkwitz’s arrival. Drinkwitz’s best season came in 2023, when Missouri went 11-2 and defeated Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl to finish No. 8 in the AP Top 25.

Missouri will enter 2026 with plenty of talent, including Ahmad Hardy — the SEC’s leading rusher last year — and Ole Miss transfers Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee. 

It’s likely that Mizzou will put together another quality season under Drinkwitz in the fall, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Tigers can make a run at the College Football Playoff.

4. Mike Elko, Texas A&M

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko prior to the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko could find himself higher on this list in the coming years. But with only four years of head coaching experience under his belt, Elko currently sits at the No. 4 spot.

In 2025, Elko’s second season as the Aggies’ head coach, he led Texas A&M to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. That impressive campaign followed his inaugural season in College Station in which he led the Aggies to an 8-5 season.

Elko served as A&M’s defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021 before taking the head coaching job at Duke. He led the Blue Devils to a 16-9 record over his two seasons at the helm in Durham.

Texas A&M’s defense has been one of the nation’s most disruptive since Elko took over, and the Aggies have the pieces to be formidable on that side of the ball again in 2026.

3. Steve Sarkisian, Texas

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian gestures after a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

While Steve Sarkisian has yet to lead Texas to a national championship, there’s no denying that he’s one of college football’s best coaches.

The Longhorns went 5-7 in 2021, Sarkisian’s first year in Austin, but since then, they are 43-13. Texas reached the CFP in 2023 and 2024, and while the Longhorns fell short of the playoff last year, they still managed to go 10-3 with wins over rivals Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

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Sarkisian’s time at Texas has been redemptive for the 52-year-old coach. He previously coached at USC and Washington, and his tenure with the Trojans ended in 2015 when they fired him due to alleged intoxication at team events and practices.

Texas, like usual, will have one of college football’s most talented rosters in the fall. And Sarkisian can cement himself as one of the best coaches in the nation if he can get the Longhorns over the hump.

2. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks to media after the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham doesn’t have any CFP appearances to his name, but he did take Utah to new heights during his 21-year tenure in Salt Lake City.

Whittingham registered a 177-88 record during his time at Utah. He took the Utes to New Year’s Six/BCS bowls four times, and the Utes finished ranked in the AP Top 25 in 10 of his seasons.

Whittingham’s tenure followed Urban Meyer’s two-year stint as the Utes’ coach, and he helped keep them on the map until he stepped down after the 2025 season.

Now, Whittingham will look to bring Michigan back to the CFP. The Wolverines won the national title in 2023, but they failed to reach the playoff during their two seasons under Sherrone Moore, who was fired after their campaign.

Whittingham is more established than just about every other coach in college football, and he inherited an uber-talented roster when he arrived in Ann Arbor.

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart shown on the field during the Georgia Spring football game at Sanford Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Kirby Smart has won two national championships as Georgia’s head coach, and as a result, he’s the only person who can hold the No. 1 spot.

After spending nearly a decade as Alabama’s defensive coordinator under Nick Saban, Smart took over in Athens in 2016, and he has since turned the Bulldogs into a powerhouse. Georgia is 117-21 under Smart, and the Bulldogs won back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022.

UGA has finished in the top 10 of the AP poll in nine of Smart’s 10 seasons at the helm. And though the Bulldogs haven’t played for a national title since 2022, they will look to win their third SEC title in a row in 2026.

Georgia consistently fields some of the best rosters in college football. And because of Smart’s coaching prowess, the Bulldogs have been able to establish themselves as the SEC’s “gold standard” in recent memory.