Oklahoma Sooners Ranking Puts OU No. 10 In Preseason AP Poll

Oklahoma Sooners Ranked No. 10 In Preseason AP Top 25 Poll

The Oklahoma Sooners ranking puts OU back among college football's preseason top 10 as the Sooners prepare for the 2026 season and another demanding schedule in the Southeastern Conference.

Oklahoma enters the year at No. 10 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25, while Ohio State claims the nation's No. 1 spot. The Buckeyes received 40 of 69 first-place votes, followed by Oregon at No. 2 and Georgia at No. 3. Notre Dame and Texas round out the preseason top five.

Oklahoma Sooners Ranking Puts OU In National Top 10

The Sooners begin the season as the fifth-highest ranked SEC team in the preseason poll.

The complete rankings published by the Associated Press Top 25 place Oklahoma firmly among the programs expected to compete nationally this season after OU finished the 2025 campaign with a 10-3 record.

Oklahoma will have plenty of opportunities to prove whether that ranking is justified.

The Sooners are scheduled to face six teams appearing in the preseason Top 25, creating one of the more difficult paths in college football. That includes an early road matchup at Michigan, which enters the season ranked No. 16.

The SEC leads all conferences with nine teams represented in the preseason Top 25, followed closely by the Big Ten with eight.

Ohio State Opens Season At No. 1

Ohio State begins the season on top after receiving 40 first-place votes, giving the Buckeyes a sizable advantage over Big Ten rival Oregon.

The Buckeyes return quarterback Julian Sayin, a 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist who threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns last season. He'll again have one of college football's biggest receiving threats in Jeremiah Smith, who finished last season with 1,243 receiving yards.

The NCAA preseason rankings breakdown also places defending national champion Indiana at No. 6, just outside the preseason top five.

Ohio State's schedule includes six preseason-ranked opponents, beginning with No. 5 Texas in Week 2 and ending against rival Michigan.

Oklahoma State Receives Votes But Misses Top 25

Oklahoma State did not make the preseason Top 25 but received eight voting points, putting the Cowboys among the teams receiving consideration outside the rankings.

OSU enters its first season under new head coach Eric Morris as the program begins a new era in Stillwater.

The NCAA college football rankings hub will track changes to the Top 25 throughout the season as teams begin conference and nonconference play.

For Oklahoma, starting at No. 10 gives the Sooners national expectations from the opening kickoff, with a schedule that will quickly determine whether OU can remain among the country's highest-ranked programs.

🔴 MORE RADIO NEWS