Josh Pate thinks OU has one of the country's hardest early schedules
According to Josh Pate, the Sooners could be in for a rough September and October.
Since the Oklahoma Sooners got to the SEC, they have had back-to-back years with arguably the hardest schedule in the entire country. Although they'll play a number of different opponents in 2026, the slate doesn't get any easier for head coach Brent Venables and his squad this fall. Oklahoma will kick off the season against UTEP at home, before going on the road to face Michigan in Week 2.
After another home date with New Mexico, OU will go back on the road for another marquee game, this time against Georgia. After a bye week, it's another huge contest for the Sooners, with the annual clash against Texas in Week 6. The Sooners will come back home to face Kentucky, and hit the road again versus Mississippi State, before closing out October back at home against South Carolina on Halloween.
In a bid to repeat last season's "Red November", the Sooners will open the month against Florida on the road, before heading back home to take on Ole Miss and Texas A&M on the season's final two contests on Owen Field. The regular season will end on the road against Missouri. That's another extremely tough draw for Venables' Sooners, especially early on in the season.
In fact, Josh Pate believes that OU has one of the toughest early-season slates in the entire nation. Pate hosts " Josh Pate's College Football Show ", and he ranked the Sooners (along with USC, LSU, Texas, Florida State, and Colorado) as having one of the country's hardest starts to the season schedule-wise. Those three games away from Norman against Michigan, Georgia, and Texas in the first six weeks were a major reason why.