Preseason coaches poll snaps 25-year streak for major college football program

The preseason Coaches Poll for the 2025 college football season is a historic one for the Oklahoma Sooners after a dissapointing first campaign in the SEC.

Head coach Brent Venables took over for Lincoln Riley – now at USC – ahead of the 2022 season and finish at 6-7 in his first year at the helm. Substantial improvements were made the following season, in which Oklahoma flourished with a 10-3 campaign, before making the move to the SEC in 2024.

The inaugural year in the conference was ultimately disastrous, as the Sooners fell to 6-7 with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. Oklahoma was efficient defensively, but the offense finished near the bottom nationally in both passing (119th) and scoring (97th).

Key changes have been made ahead of a pivotal season for Venables. The fourth-year coach revamped the offense with new coordinator Ben Arbuckle and Washington State transfer quarterback Johh Mateer.

Additionally, former NFL executive Jim Nagy has taken over roster management as the general manager. The Sooners, ranked 10th nationally in NIL collective spending this year, signed 19 transfers in the No. 12 ranked class of the 2025 cycle.

Those potential improvements did not sway the opinions of opposing coaches. For the first time since 1999, the Sooners are not ranked in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, per 247Sports.

Oklahoma is the first team out of the poll, receiving 221 votes. Eight other SEC programs are ranked within the top 25, including rival Texas, which ranks first.

Venables and Co. face a daunting schedule headlined by home games against Michigan, Ole Miss and LSU, with key road matchups against South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.

The season will open at home against Illinois State on Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+).