Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Oklahoma-Michigan Preview: One Big Thing is All About OU's Future

Originally posted on Oklahoma Sooners on SI
By John Hoover | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 8:36 AM ET

Beating Michigan does a lot for Oklahoma.

But the value beating the Wolverines on this night, when there’s been so much hype, when ESPN’s “College GameDay” is in Norman, when the college football world will be watching on national television, when there are some 70 to 80 recruits on campus — many of them upper-tier talent — would be simply incalculable.

Simply put, winning this game with an audience of so many of the sport’s future stars in the front row would be a key factor in Oklahoma’s progression under Brent Venables.

OUInsider reports that the Sooners will be hosting four players in the 2027 class who rank among the top 20 prospects nationally, and eight in the top 50. So far, a grand total of 47 players with either 4- or 5-star ratings by the Rivals network in the 2026, 2027 and 2028 classes are confirmed visitors for this weekend’s big showdown with the Wolverines.

“Gonna be really exciting from an environment standpoint,” Venables said. “Game day will be here, that’s cool. Some of the best talent in the country will also be on campus from a recruiting standpoint. And for our football team, most importantly, it’ll be an opportunity for us to match up with what’s been the last several years one of the best teams in college football.”

OU is ranked No. 18 in this week’s AP Top 25, and would surely climb with a comfortable or convincing victory over No. 15 Michigan. That’s great. That’s awesome. Everybody loves a winner.

But college football can be flighty. Nobody cares all that much that you beat Michigan if you get KO’d by Texas and can’t beat Ole Miss at home and lose at Tennessee and aren’t competitive in the SEC again.

So winning is big, but sustaining that momentum would be bigger. And not just for ego’s sake, or for the love of your fans, or even for the CFP rankings in November.

Winning — beating Michigan on Saturday night — is big because 4-star 2026 quarterback Peyton Houston is trying to choose between OU, USC, Texas, Clemson and LSU. (He also holds a scholarship offer from Michigan among his more than 30 Division I offers.)

It’s big because 5-star in-state 2026 offensive tackle Cooper Hackett is trying to figure out if he should have verbally committed to Texas Tech last month or if OU is worthy of winning his flip.

It’s big because 4-star in-state 2028 athlete Kameion Compton-Nero is trying to decide if he should join Rejoice Christian teammate Xavier Okwufulueze in Norman or if he should be patient for more than the 10 offers he holds currently as a sophomore.

It’s big because 4-star 2028 running back Micah Rhodes is considering Oklahoma but already holds offers from Michigan rivals Ohio State and Notre Dame, among others, and could expect the Wolverines to follow suit soon.

It’s big for a lot of reasons — and several dozen of them will be on campus Saturday night when the game of the week kicks off at Owen Field.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Sooners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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