"There's so much pressure on Oklahoma staff this year": Josh Pate makes blunt predictions for Sherrone Moore vs Brent Venables matchup

Sherrone Moore is entering his second year as Michigan's coach after taking over the reins from Jim Harbaugh. Expectations are sky high for him following an 8-5 season and 5-4 in Big Ten play, including a big win over the Alabama Crimson Tide at the ReliaQuest Bowl.

The Wolverines will face New Mexico in Week 1 on Aug. 30 at Ann Arbor. The following week, they will be on the road to face the Oklahoma Sooners, which college football analyst Josh Pate called a "blockbuster matchup."

During Tuesday's episode of his podcast, Pate mentioned that Brent Venables is in a tough position to get the program back on track. The 2024 season turned out to be a disaster as the Sooners finished with a 6-7 (2-6 Southeastern Conference) record.

It's high time they reloaded the roster and give fans a massive win over one of the top programs in the country at home. However, Pate analyzed the preseason predictions, and believes Michigan has the edge over Oklahoma on the basis of stability in their rosters.

"It's got to be Michigan and Oklahoma," Pate said (0:10), via 'Josh Pate's College Football Show.' "For me, there's so much pressure on this Oklahoma staff this year, this will be where we learn about the whole John Mateer experiment at quarterback, the Ben Arbuckle experiment at offensive coordinator.”

“Now they would argue, what do you mean? Experiment, we've already proven ourselves. And then everyone else is going to say, Yeah, you did. And in Washington, this is the SEC and then Michigan is going to say, we're a Big Ten team."

Pate also wondered if the Wolverines will start Bryce Underwood against the Sooners.

"See a lot of conversation going on, but I'm going to Michigan, Oklahoma. Big helmet game there. Huge game for Venables. Is Michigan starting a true freshman quarterback on the road in Norman against Venables now remains to be seen.”

Sherrone Moore will miss two regular season games in 2025

Sherrone Moore was part of the alleged sign-stealing scandal led by Connor Stallions in 2023. After the initial investigations, Moore was held culprit, and the NCAA reportedly handed him a two-game penalty.

He will be available for the first two games but will miss the Week 3 matchup against Central Michigan and the Week 4 clash with Nebraska.

Meanwhile, the penalties don't stop there. Moore is scheduled to appear at an NCAA hearing before the committee of infractions, which is expected to be the final proceeding in the sign-stealing scandal. More penalties could be coming soon. The hearing is scheduled for June; however, the exact date has yet to be released.