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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Photo by: Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma
Sooners Ranked No. 9 in Preseason Coaches Poll
August 04, 2026 | Football
NORMAN — The Oklahoma football team will begin the 2026 season ranked ninth in the US LBM Coaches Poll, which was released Tuesday. The Sooners are entering their fifth year under head coach Brent Venables and coming off the program's fifth College Football Playoff appearance.
The Sooners have been ranked in the annual preseason coaches poll in 26 of the last 27 years (last season was the exception) and have appeared in the top 20 in each of the 26 years they have been ranked.
OU is one of nine Southeastern Conference squads ranked in this year's preseason coaches poll and is fourth among SEC teams. Georgia is ranked No. 3, Texas No. 4, Texas A&M No. 8, Ole Miss No. 10, Alabama No. 11, LSU No. 13, Tennessee No. 18 and Missouri No. 25. Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Auburn are among teams receiving votes.
Other top-10 teams are No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Indiana and No. 7 Miami (Fla.).
The Sooners match up against five of the other eight SEC schools ranked in the preseason poll, including two that are in the top four and four in the top 10. Oklahoma also plays at No. 16 Michigan and Florida, and hosts South Carolina and New Mexico, which received votes in Tuesday's poll. Of OU's 12 opponents this season, nine are either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason coaches poll.
Oklahoma, which went 10-3 in 2025 and finished No. 10 in the coaches poll, opens the 2026 season Friday, Sept. 4, against UTEP at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Sooners will play six home games this season, and limited tickets for five of those contests are still available here.
The Sooners have been ranked in the annual preseason coaches poll in 26 of the last 27 years (last season was the exception) and have appeared in the top 20 in each of the 26 years they have been ranked.
OU is one of nine Southeastern Conference squads ranked in this year's preseason coaches poll and is fourth among SEC teams. Georgia is ranked No. 3, Texas No. 4, Texas A&M No. 8, Ole Miss No. 10, Alabama No. 11, LSU No. 13, Tennessee No. 18 and Missouri No. 25. Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Auburn are among teams receiving votes.
Other top-10 teams are No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Indiana and No. 7 Miami (Fla.).
The Sooners match up against five of the other eight SEC schools ranked in the preseason poll, including two that are in the top four and four in the top 10. Oklahoma also plays at No. 16 Michigan and Florida, and hosts South Carolina and New Mexico, which received votes in Tuesday's poll. Of OU's 12 opponents this season, nine are either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason coaches poll.
Oklahoma, which went 10-3 in 2025 and finished No. 10 in the coaches poll, opens the 2026 season Friday, Sept. 4, against UTEP at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Sooners will play six home games this season, and limited tickets for five of those contests are still available here.
Tuesday, August 04
Tuesday, August 04
Thursday, July 23
Tuesday, July 21
