Michigan’s road tilt vs Oklahoma just got harder with night game scheduled

Michigan at Oklahoma is officially a night game. How much harder will that make things for the Wolverines?

Earlier on Thursday, the kickoff times of Michigan’s first four games were announced. The most challenging of the bunch is expected to be on the road against Oklahoma on Sept. 6.

The Sooners are known for having rowdy crowds at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, and things will be all the more rowdy because it was announced the matchup will be a night game with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC.

While Oklahoma went just 6-7 last season and Michigan was 8-5, there’s a lot of optimism about the 2025 version of the Sooners with Washington State quarterback John Mateer adn Cal running back Jaydn Ott transferring in. OU also has a new offensive coordinator in Ben Arbuckle, who fielded a potent offense with Mateer last season at Wazzu.

Just like Oklahoma, expectations are also higher at Michigan this season, but they’ll head into fall camp with more uncertainty at the quarterback position than the Sooners. True freshman and No. 1 overall 2025 recruit Bryce Underwood will battle it out for QB1 with Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene. If Underwood beats Keene out, it’ll represent a major challenge in a hostile environment for a QB who would be making his second career start. If Keene is to beat Underwood, it would also be just his second game with the Wolverines, and a stiff test would be expected for him as well against a decent defense. Oklahoma didn’t have a winning record last season but did rank No. 19 in total defense and No. 26 in team sacks.

Oklahoma head coach Brett Venables has mentioned in the past the impact a night game can have on the crowd. Venables believes that attendance is at its highest when the sun sets and the lights come on.

“Our fans, they do a great job showing up all the time, but for whatever reason, night games draw a few more people,” Venables said in 2023. “Preparation, everybody’ll have the same amount of time, so I’m not sure if it’s an advantage or not. I’ve said it many times — I think most players and coaches prefer to wake up and go play. But it is an opportunity.”

There’s gotta be something to the mystique of a Saturday night in Norman. Alabama certainly found out the hard way during Oklahoma’s last home night game on Nov. 24 last season — the then-ranked No. 7 Crimson Tide lost 24-3 to Oklahoma, and their playoff chances evaporated.

This is the first time Michigan and Oklahoma have played since the 1976 Orange Bowl, a 14-6 Oklahoma victory. And the hype surrounding this game should only increase in the months leading up to kickoff.