While Texas is No. 1, Oklahoma Hits Historic Low Ranking in Preseason Coaches Poll

An increasing number of people suggest preseason polls don’t mean anything.

The Oklahoma Sooners hope that’s true.

For the first time since 1999, OU is not ranked in this year’s USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll.

Meanwhile, Sooners rival Texas is ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll announced Monday.

Actually, OU received a total of 221 poll points (25 points for a first-place vote), one point for 25th-place vote, etc.) and ranks 26th — just one spot outside the Top 25.

In Brent Venables’ first three seasons as the head man in Norman, OU was ranked No. 9 in 2022, No. 19 in 2023 and No. 16 last year. The Sooners went on to finish 6-7, 10-3 and 6-7 in those years.

OU hasn’t been unranked to open a season since Venables was a first-year co-defensive coordinator under Bob Stoops.

The lowest the Sooners have been ranked in the preseason coaches poll since Stoops' first season was 19th in 2023 and 19th to start the 2015 season — when OU was coming off an 8-5 record and had just been handed a 40-6 bowl loss to Clemson, where Venables was then the defensive coordinator. 

OU started the 2016 season — Stoops’ final one as a college head coach — ranked No. 13.

Defending national champion Ohio State is ranked No. 2 by the coaches this year, followed by Penn State at No. 3, Georgia at No. 4 and last year’s runner up, Notre Dame, at No. 5.

Texas received 28 of the 67 first-place votes. Ohio State received 20, while Penn State (14), Georgia (3) and Clemson (2) got the rest.

The rest of the top 10 consists of Clemson, Oregon, Alabama, LSU and Miami.

In all, seven OU opponents this season have a spot in the preseason poll. In addition to the Longhorns, Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers, Oklahoma’s upcoming schedule also includes No. 13 South Carolina, No. 14 Michigan, No. 15 Mississippi and No. 18 Tennessee. SEC schools Florida (No. 17) and Texas A&M (No. 21) also landed in this year’s preseason poll. Missouri (142 points) is one spot below OU at No. 27, if the poll were extended. Auburn (50 points) also received votes.

The Associated Press Preseason Top 25 will be revealed next week.

Venables is not a voter in this year’s ballot. SEC coaches who have a vote this year are Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Florida’s Billy Napier, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops.