John Reed-Imagn Images

Historic College Football Program Unranked In Preseason Coaches Poll For First Time Since 1999

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 5:14 PM ET

The 2025 college football season is right around the corner. With that, the preseason rankings have officially been released.

On Monday, the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll was released by coaches across the country.

In what was widely expected, Texas and Ohio State dropped in at No. 1 and 2, respectively, with Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame rounding out the top five.

As per usual, the SEC had a ton of teams in the rankings, with nine of the top 25 belonging to that conference.

Those nine are as follows:

Texas
Georgia
Alabama
LSU
South Carolina
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Texas A&M

However, one SEC team was notably missing: The Oklahoma Sooners.

One Program Notably Absent From Rankings for First Time in Nearly Three Decades

Oklahoma was not in the top 25 preseason rankings, which is quite a surprise. This is the first time since 1999 that Oklahoma did not land a spot in the preseason coaches poll, according to Colton Sulley of The Oklahoman.

"The Sooners, coming off a 6-7 season which culminated with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl, were not ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll for the first time since the 1999 season. OU was ranked in the coaches poll for 25 consecutive years."

So, it's not a common sight to see Oklahoma missing from the Coaches Poll rankings, and this marks the first time this century that has happened.

Here are the full Coaches Poll rankings that were released:

Texas Longhorns
Ohio State Buckeyes
Penn State Nittany Lions
Georgia Bulldogs
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Clemson Tigers
Oregon Ducks
Alabama Crimson Tide
LSU Tigers
Miami Hurricanes
Arizona State Sun Devils
Illinois Fighting Illini
South Carolina Gamecocks
Michigan Wolverines
Ole Miss Rebels
SMU Mustangs
Florida Gators
Tennessee Volunteers
Indiana Hoosiers
Kansas State Wildcats
Texas A&M Aggies
Iowa State Cyclones
BYU Cougars
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Boise State Broncos

Oklahoma (221 votes) and Missouri (142 votes) were the next two teams in the rankings, so the Sooners were right on the cusp of making the cut.

It's also surprising, especially since Oklahoma landed Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer and gave him a reported $3 million NIL deal.

Why is Oklahoma Not in the Top 25?

In 2024, Oklahoma finished just 6-7 with five losses in the final seven games of the regular season.

Oklahoma then went on to lose the Armed Forces Bowl, and quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. entered the portal after the season.

While Mateer has a lot of buzz around him, Oklahoma has a very difficult schedule.

The Sooners play Michigan in nonconference play, and the SEC slate features games against Auburn, Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU.

For some perspective, six of those SEC teams listed above are in the preseason rankings, Missouri is at No. 27, and Michigan is at No. 14. The Sooners play Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee on the road, which is not ideal for any program.

CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello had Oklahoma with the fourth-toughest schedule in SEC play, behind Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Arkansas, in that order.

All in all, questions remain about how Mateer will transition from Washington State to Oklahoma, and the tough SEC schedule does no favors for the Sooners.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: