Five Games That Will Impact the 2026 College Football Season
· Yahoo Sports
As we are now almost a month away from kicking off the 2026 college football season, everyone is beginning to discuss the biggest games of the season. We all know with Oklahoma's 2026 schedule, almost every matchup is anything but easy.
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
Here are my top five matchups, in chronological order, that could affect Oklahoma's season.
Week 1: Clemson at LSU, September 5 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC
It's Part 2 of the battle of the Tigers and you have to love the coaching matchup in this one. Lane Kiffin enters in his first season as LSU's head coach. Meanwhile, Dabo Sweeney could be on the hot seat if Clemson has back-to-back disappointing seasons. This is a Clemson team that was preseason No. 4 for the 2025 season. They closed as 4.5-point favorites against LSU in the 2025 home opener. Clemson fans were hopeful for back-to-back ACC titles and a national championship run, but LSU's defense said otherwise in the 17-10 win over Clemson. Dabo Sweeney's Tigers finished 7-6 in 2025.
Why This Game Could Affect Oklahoma: If you're a Sooner fan, you're most likely rooting against LSU. If LSU were to defeat Clemson, this would give Lane Kiffin's squad a big boost heading into SEC play. You want as much chaos in the conference as possible and a Clemson win could already put LSU into panic mode. If you're Oklahoma, you don't want to be battling LSU for a playoff spot later in the season. The Sooners aren't facing LSU in the regular season due to the SEC four-year scheduling rotation. As of now, LSU is an 11.5-point favorite over Clemson.
Week 2: Ohio State at Texas, September 12 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC
This might be the biggest game of the season. Just like last year's LSU-Clemson game, this matchup in 2025 was a slugfest. Ohio State was able to shut down Arch Manning in his debut as the Longhorn's full-time starter. Despite Texas outgaining the Buckeyes 336-203 in total yards, Ohio State was able to take advantage of mistakes from Texas. This included a critical Manning interception late in the third quarter and the Longhorns failing to convert on fourth downs.
The position matchups in this game are a sight to see. You have two early Heisman candidates at quarterback in Arch Manning and Julian Sayin. Manning had a challenging start in 2025, most notably in the early losses to Ohio State and Florida on the road. Towards the latter of the season, he picked up steam and was able to ease into his role. He'll no doubt be a dangerous threat, but the Longhorns also have a solid duo in the running back and wide receiver rooms. Wingo is back for Texas at receiver along with the addition of Cam Coleman from Auburn. Running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown are both big-time transfers that will help in the running game.
Julian Sayin had an outstanding freshman season, completing 77% of his passes for 3,610 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. With running back Bo Jackson and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith both returning this year, this is a Buckeye team that will be hungry to win their second national championship in three seasons. Ohio State brings a stout defense that could give Texas trouble once again.
Why This Game Could Affect Oklahoma: This could affect the Sooners no matter who wins in Austin. The two scenarios are as follows:
1. Arguably, an Ohio State win could be a recurring nightmare for Texas. The Longhorns can't afford to lose again to Ohio State with the gauntlet SEC schedule. There's a potential trap game before the Red River Rivalry, just like in 2025. Texas will be traveling to Knoxville in Week 4. Another slow start for the Longhorns could help Oklahoma in the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff race. If you're a Sooner fan, this is a scenario you wouldn't mind seeing again.
2. Wanting Texas to win is not on any Sooner fan's bingo card. Ironically, a Longhorn win against the Buckeyes could help Oklahoma. This is going back to the brutal SEC schedule that most teams within the conference have. An Oklahoma win over a Texas team that would have defeated a stacked Ohio State roster would add significant value to the Sooners' playoff resume. Even if Texas would lose to Tennessee, a win over the Buckeyes will bring major value to the playoff committee.
Week 2: Oklahoma at Michigan, September 12 at 11:00 a.m. on Fox
Right off the bat, the Sooners travel to one of the toughest stadiums in all of college football. It will be a Bryce Underwood-John Mateer rematch in The Big House. This could be Michigan's best chance to get revenge against Oklahoma and potentially find its way to the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. Despite having a first-year head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, the Wolverines still might be a better squad than last season. Michigan did well in the portal and brings back some key returning starters. Jordan Marshall is back at running back and defensive end John Henry Daley is by far the biggest addition from the portal. A second-team All-American, Daley will be a massive presence for the Michigan defense.
Why This Game Could Affect Oklahoma: It's simple. If you win, you're in the driver's seat. With Michigan going 9-3 in the regular season and Oklahoma finishing 10-2, the 2025 matchup in Norman was essentially a play-in game. This could be the exact same pattern. The SEC and the Big Ten are the two premier conferences in the country. With both teams having brutal slates, this is a must-win. Oklahoma has to travel to Athens just two weeks after the Michigan game. An early win on the road would make the Sooners slightly more comfortable heading into SEC play.
Week 6: Texas vs Oklahoma (In Dallas), October 10 at 2:30 p.m.
Three of Oklahoma's first five games are arguably its three toughest of the season. The Red River Rivalry marks the final matchup of this five-game stretch that could be the most crucial stretch for 2026. The Longhorn roster listed in the Ohio State game earlier pretty much explains itself. On paper, the Sooners' roster looks much improved than last year and should match up better with Texas.
Why This Game Could Affect Oklahoma: This is another win you want on your resume, especially if the Longhorns are still ranked later in the season. According to FanDuel, Texas has the second highest odds to win the SEC. The playoff committee highly values strength of schedule and strength of record. If the Sooners can start out 4-1 with one of those wins being in Dallas, it would likely put them in the AP top 10 heading into Week 7.
Week 7: Notre Dame at BYU, October 17, Time and TV TBA
This is possibly one of the biggest games in BYU history, especially since it's in Provo. The Cougars also had one of the greatest seasons in program history last year. BYU made the Big 12 Championship game in only its third season in the conference in 2025. Kalani Sitake and the Cougars had a rough start in the Big 12, finishing 5-7 in 2023. However, in 2024 and 2025, he led the Cougars to back-to-back 10-win seasons. Under Sitake, BYU has won ten games or more in four of the last six seasons.
Why This Game Could Affect Oklahoma: Notre Dame has one of the easiest schedule in the country, if not the easiest. In the Irish's first six games before traveling to BYU, only one of their six opponents won more than four games last season: Rice, which went 5-8, including a bowl game. There is also a new rule for the playoff this year that gives the Irish a playoff berth if they finish inside of the top 12 in the final ranking because they are not in a conference. Notre Dame is everyone's worst enemy when it comes to the playoff rankings. If the Sooners are fighting for a playoff spot, they need BYU to win. Besides Miami and SMU traveling to South Bend, there aren't any other major threats on the Irish's schedule.
While Oklahoma's schedule looks like a nightmare right now, one thing is for certain. The strength of schedule needs to be present for the whole season. A great example is if the Sooners defeat Michigan, they would need Michigan to keep winning during the rest of its season to boost Oklahoma's strength of schedule.