Brent Venables’ Oklahoma squad will face a tough slate in 2026. Among their biggest games is a Nov. 21 matchup with Texas A&M in Norman, Oklahoma.
“Mike [Elko] and his staff have done a wonderful job of building the roster, taking over a really good roster when Jimbo [Fisher] left and continuing that tradition of building in the trenches,” Venables said. “They’ve done that well. It’s going to be a great, great challenge. It’s going to be in Norman, thankfully for us.
“[It’s] one of many really good teams that we’ve got to show up with our A-game to have a chance to compete.”
The Sooners and Aggies faced off pretty consistently when both schools were in the Big 12. The November showdown will be their first as SEC foes.
A&M isn’t the only big-time program on the Sooners’ schedule. Oklahoma will notably open its season with a five-game stretch that includes road matchups at Michigan and Georgia, along with the annual Red River Rivalry game against Texas at the Cotton Bowl.
Venables said his team was ready for the challenges it’ll face early in the season. He credited Oklahoma’s offseason program for helping the team prepare for what’s ahead.
“Again, you’re not going to sneak up on anybody in Ann Arbor or going to Athens, Georgia. I think they’ve lost maybe once in five or six years at home. Georgia has been the gold standard in my opinion for college football for quite some time now. Then obviously Texas in Dallas is always a tremendous challenge, something our guys are ready to do,” Venables said. “I think that’s more of an affirmation. Playing Michigan certainly out of conference, but that’s what our conference looks like. Each and every week, you’re not going to sneak up on anybody. Nobody’s going to look past Oklahoma. We’re going to bring out the best in everybody.”