Oklahoma Football releases home game themes for 2026 slate

The Oklahoma Sooners will play six home games, five road games, and one neutral-site game in 2026. For those six contests inside Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium this fall, the university has announced game themes for each of them, while also letting fans know that tickets for five of those six games are still available.

The Sooners are one of just two teams in the Southeastern Conference, along with Texas, that don't have an FCS opponent on their 2026 schedule. The SEC is also moving from an eight-game to a nine-game conference schedule this year, meaning a difficult slate gets even more difficult going forward, with just three non-league games instead of four. Additionally, FBS teams will get only one bye week this year, down from the two they've had over the past couple of seasons since the Sooners joined the SEC. Oklahoma's bye week is in Week 5 this season.

OU's Week 1 tilt against the UTEP Miners on Friday, September 4, will have a "Wear Crimson" theme. The Sooners recently moved the season opener from Saturday to Friday in order to play another night game at home this year.

The Sooners will "Stripe the Stadium" for another night game on Owen Field in Week 3 on September 19 against the New Mexico Lobos. The two programs will play each other for the first time since 1935 to close out OU's non-league slate in 2026.

Oklahoma's "Throwback" game will be in Week 7, on October 17th, against the Kentucky Wildcats. Though it hasn't been fully confirmed yet, one would probably be safe to assume that the Sooners will don the Bud Wilkinson-era throwback jerseys in that game. OU last suited up in those threads in a 44-0 win over Kent State last year.

OU will be back at home in Week 9 on October 31st. They'll host the South Carolina Gamecocks on Halloween for Homecoming. That game will also be celebrating Native American Heritage. The Sooners have split the only two matchups in the series, and they'll look to get their first home win over South Carolina in 2026.

The Sooners host the Ole Miss Rebels for an afternoon kickoff on November 14th in Week 11. That game will be "Military Appreciation" day in Norman. Again, nothing has been confirmed yet, but it's likely OU will wear the anthracite "Unity" alternate jerseys that week. That's been the case for the last couple of years when the Sooners celebrate the military, and OU beat Missouri 17-6 last year, the last time they wore those alternates.

Finally, Oklahoma announced that the Week 12 clash with the Texas A&M Aggies on November 21st is already sold out. That game will have an early kickoff, and it will be Senior Day in Norman. It'll be the first matchup between the two schools since the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2012 season. The last regular season contest between the two came in Norman in 2011 when both schools were still in the Big 12 Conference. That game will close out the careers of Oklahoma's seniors at home on Owen Field in 2026.

OU has road games this year against Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi State, Florida, and Missouri. Of course, the Red River Rivalry matchup against Texas will take place at the neutral-site Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Sooners are the designated "home team" for the rivalry clash this season.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Football releases home game themes for 2026 slate