Oklahoma Sooners 2026 College Football Preview, Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions

By Nate Weitzer | May 22, 2026, 7:20pm

Could this be the year the Oklahoma Sooners break through in the College Football Playoff?

After the program’s first CFP appearance under head coach Brett Venables, Oklahoma returned some key pieces on defense, across the offensive line, and brought in some talent at the skill positions to complement stud quarterback John Mateer. Former Cowboys legend Jason Witten will coach the tight ends and Deland McCullough has come aboard as a running backs coach, as the Sooners look to revamp their rushing attack.

While the Sooners lost depth across the defensive line, they added former Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan and intriguing prospect Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA) through the transfer portal.

Since Mateer is healthier after dealing with a hand injury that limited him last season, the Sooners have high hopes to compete in the SEC and push for their first national title since 2000.

2026 College Football Betting Resources

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 College Football National Championship Odds

National Title Odds:

At 35/1 the Sooners are tied for 13th (with USC) in consensus odds to win the national title.

Oklahoma is ahead of Michigan (+4000) and will get an early test against the 2024-25 champions Sept. 12 at Ann Arbor. That matchup is part of a brutal early stretch for the Sooners that includes matchups at Georgia (+1000) and against Texas (+750), the projected top teams in the SEC and among the top six in terms of odds to win the title this year.

There are four more SEC contenders (Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss) with shorter odds than Oklahoma to win the title, and ACC titan Miami (FL) is also ahead of the Sooners.

Bet: No

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 SEC Championship Odds

SEC Title Odds:

The Sooners have the seventh-shortest odds to win the SEC Championship game this year with consensus odds around 12/1.

Defending champion Georgia has the second-shortest odds behind a Texas team that reloaded via the transfer portal and is expected to compete for a national championship. Georgia has plenty of continuity but didn’t add many big names via transfer.

Alabama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and LSU are all ahead of Oklahoma in terms of expectations within the SEC standings. The Crimson Tide are working their way back to national contender status and the Aggies have a Heisman candidate at QB in Marcel Reed. Ole Miss swiped star safety Joenel Aguero away from Georgia and returned star QB Trinidad Chambliss, and LSU had a huge offseason in terms of transfers.

Bet: No

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Win Total Odds

Win Total Odds:

The Sooners went 10-2 in the regular season last year. They’re projected to take a step back with a tougher schedule on tap.

Oklahoma will be underdogs in three of five games to open the season and will be massive dogs against Texas and Georgia. Then the Sooners have seven straight SEC bouts, but they should be favored in four or five of those contests.

Since they can lose four of their tough matchups and still get over this win total, we like the Sooners to cash on backers of their regular season success.

Bet: Yes – Over

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Heisman Contenders, Odds

John Mateer, QB:

John Mateer is one of several SEC quarterbacks with decent odds to win the Heisman. He trails Arch Manning (Texas), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Gunnar Stockon (Georgia), and Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) in consensus odds.

Mateer was on track to be a Heisman finalist after completing 67 percent of his passes while averaging 303.5 passing yards, 47.5 rushing yards, and posting 11 total touchdowns through his first four games last year. Then a hand injury, suffered on Sept. 20, seemed to derail his campaign, although he battled through the pain the rest of the way. If he can stay healthy, the dual threat has a chance to push Oklahoma up the SEC standings and earn Heisman consideration.

Bet: No

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 College Football Schedule

Sat., 9/5 – vs. UTEP
Sat., 9/12 – at Michigan
Sat., 9/19 – vs. New Mexico
Sat., 9/26 – at Georgia
Sat., 10/10 – vs. Texas
Sat., 10/17 – vs. Kentucky
Sat., 10/24 – at Mississippi State
Sat., 11/7 – at Florida
Sat., 11/14 – vs. Ole Miss
Sat., 11/21 – vs. Texas A&M
Sat., 11/28 – at Missouri

Photo Credit: AP/Nate Billings

Nate Weitzer

Nate Weitzer has been covering sports betting and daily fantasy sports at Catena Media for nearly a decade, focusing primarily on NBA and NFL content. He is the co-host of the NBA and NFL Coast 2 Coast show on the Lineups YouTube channel, where he provides daily picks and prop bets alongside co-host Josh Lander. He also runs the NFL premium content channel at LandYourBets.com. In addition to his duties at Catena, Weitzer is a high school sports reporter for The Boston Globe and a freelance writer for other outlets, covering stories ranging from high school championships to ski mountaineering races. He graduated from Boston University’s MS in Sports Journalism program in 2012.