Sooners just gained an advantage in an unfortunate way for one of their most important games and the season hasn’t even started yet
The Oklahoma Sooners will be playing the Michigan Wolverines without Andrew Babalola.
One of the biggest games in the Brent Venables era at Oklahoma, that’s not against Texas, has to be the Sooners’ Week 2 game against the Michigan Wolverines this season.
That game is beyond winnable. Michigan is not what they were when it won its National Championship two years ago. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Wolverines are good, and they can easily beat the Sooners, but this is a big-time matchup between two blue-blood programs that the Sooners should win.
The Wolverines will be in Norman, and we all know the stadium will be rocking. Not to mention, they will likely be starting true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. Last year, that offense was almost as bad as the Sooners, only they actually had some good moments when they ran the ball. But passing the ball, yeah, they couldn’t do it.
This year they should be much better in that area, especially with some improvements at offensive line. But the Sooners are likely going to be one of the best defenses in the country in 2025, and they just got a competitive advantage for that game, too.
It’s unfortunate, and really heartbreaking, but it’s something the Sooners can use to their advantage regardless.
Sooners to play Wolverines without Michigan’s star offensive tackle
Michigan freshman offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, who was a five-star prospect and the No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting cycle, is feared to have suffered a season-ending injury, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Some say he wouldn’t have been the starter, but he was certainly fighting for it.
“Andrew Babalola — he’s gonna push for the starting left tackle spot,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said earlier this week. “That’s a day-to-day competition with Evan [Link].”
And, even if he wasn’t the starter, that’s less depth than the Wolverines have now. And, that’s better for the Sooners’ defensive line, which could be one of the best in the country, if not the best. It sucks, you never want any player to get hurt, especially a true freshman who hasn’t even played yet.
But there’s nothing the Sooners can do other than take advantage.
