Both the Michigan Wolverines and Oklahoma Sooners took care of business against their Week 1 cupcakes opponents, but now they quickly face off against a potentially giant foe Week 2. Will Sherrone Moore and his Michigan Wolverines defeat his alma mater? Or will Brent Venables finally prove he has the Oklahoma Sooners back on track?

Michigan’s ground game looks as dominant as ever with transfer running back Justice Haynes. The Wolverines have found their new de facto WR1 at tight end in Marlin Klein. Bryce Underwood is looking like he may grow into living up to his five star hype. However, things certainly didn’t look perfect against a soft New Mexico team last week.

Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t exactly as efficient as they wanted to be against Illinois State on the ground, but the defense looked shut down all game long. New transfer quarterback John Mateer is dynamic, and Jaydn Ott should be back in the mix against Michigan, but who will step up on offense for the Sooners?

Heading into this massive match of the week, media members of A to Z Sports who cover both teams decided to weigh in, sharing their predictions for how this game should go. Who will win? The picks are in. Enjoy!

Oklahoma 24, Michigan 20

Five star phenom freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood flashed some of his elite potential in Michigan’s Week 1 win over New Mexico, but he still doesn’t have many weapons to target outside of his breakout tight end Marlin Klein. Yes, Justice Haynes should break off a few explosive plays in the run game (16 for 159 yards and 3 TDs last week). Yes, this is Sherrone Moore’s alma mater, so he’ll have a plan ready. Oklahoma is likely just going to have the edge in one too many spots this week and come away with a victory at home.

The Sooners’ transfer quarterback John Mateer hit the ground running in his first action with Oklahoma last week and should find a way to keep the offense on schedule once again. Jaydn Ott returning to more significant action at running back this week should help give the Sooners a boost as well. Plus, the defense looks stacked with R Mason Thomas off the edge, Gracen Halton and company stuffing the middle, and Peyton Bowen shutting down the back end. Beating Brent Venables’ defense with solid personnel at every level is going to be tough for a true freshman quarterback of any kind. Michigan’s defense holds up well, but Sooners win. – Travis May

Oklahoma 31, Michigan 14

I’ve gone over the film a few times, and the closer this game gets, the more comfortable I am that the Sooners pull out a key victory this weekend. The team is getting healthier with Jaydn Ott and both starting tackles returning to play, and we’ve already seen just how deadly John Mateer can be in this new-look offense. Oklahoma’s defense will throw the kitchen sink at Bryce Underwood and an overmatched Michigan offensive line, and there aren’t many better coaches at generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks than Brent Venables. With this being a night game in Norman in Underwood’s second-ever start, this one feels like the lights might be just too bright at this stage of his career. If Oklahoma’s offense plays their part, I think the Sooners walk out of Saturday with a statement win. – AJ Schulte

Oklahoma 34, Michigan 17

This matchup is elite from a prestige standpoint. Both Oklahoma and Michigan are historical blue bloods, but the latter doesn’t have the roster that matches the level of prestige. What they can lean their hat on is they nailed the quarterback position in landing five-star Bryce Underwood. He looked like a star against New Mexico with plus ability to do everything you could ask of a quarterback who has every tool at his disposal. The problem is the roster surrounding him isn’t good enough. The defense allowed 17 points at home to New Mexico and the talent on offense isn’t there around Bryce Underwood. It might be in time, but not yet. Sooners head coach Brent Venables is going to throw the kitchen sink at him, and it will be the biggest difference in the game. Plus, with multiple offensive lineman returning for the Sooners, John Mateer will have the unit cooking and earn Oklahoma a pivotal non-conference win. – Tyler Forness

Oklahoma 34, Michigan 14

The Oklahoma Sooners struggled in the run game in their first match of the year against Illinois State. That was kind of because a combination of everything, but the coaches seem confident those things will get fixed. A large part of that happening is health, and the Sooners seem to be getting healthier by the minute. Michigan has a great defense, we know that. But, will their offense be able to hang with a team who has both a great offense and defense? I think it’s very unlikely that happens, and Bryce Underwood’s first true road game in a tough environment could play a huge factor as well. John Mateer looks to be a guy that could win the Heisman, and we will see those odds rise significantly after a big time game over a great defense. Sooners win this one handily. – Justin Churchill

Oklahoma 28, Michigan 20

This is a battle that many folks may overlook in a less-than-stellar slate in Week 2 of the CFB season. Oklahoma is fresh off a sizable, yet underwhelming victory, while Michigan got some flashes of great play in their season opener but struggled with consistency. For this matchup, I think the Sooners smooth out some of their offensive issues from last week and unveil a lot of new looks with QB John Mateer and company. Michigan’s defense has some notable future NFL talent, but I’m not sure they’ll be able to score enough with an inexperienced group on offense against the Sooners’ stout defense that has tons of potential this season. – Adam Holt

The betting markets have this Michigan vs. Oklahoma game pegged as a four or five point game, but our team at A to Z Sports is collectively much more confident in the Sooners. On average, our team predicts that Brent Venables’ Sooners will be able to take out Sherrone Moore and the Michigan Wolverines in a 30-17 victory. That would immediately put the Sooners on track for a special season and the Wolverines set to keep their Bryce Underwood true freshman season expectations in check.

We’ll be back with more Michigan Wolverines and Oklahoma Sooners coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!