Poll Report: Oklahoma Steers Clear of College Football Chaos, Rising in Both Rankings.
It turned out to be a good weekend for the Sooners to have a break.
Five teams in the AP top 12 — Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Michigan, and USC — all suffered losses on what was expected to be a quiet Saturday.
As a result, Oklahoma climbed in the rankings. Brent Venables’ Sooners moved up to No. 16 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the AP Poll.
Alabama’s stunning 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt also pushed Texas back to No. 1 in the AP Poll, meaning Oklahoma will face the top-ranked team in the AP Poll during the regular season for the first time since hosting Nebraska in 2000.
The Sooners have a 7-16-2 all-time record against No. 1-ranked teams and a 28-56-2 record against top-five teams.
The bye week came at a perfect time for Oklahoma.
Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh’s unit continued to heal in the Sooners’ 27-21 win over Auburn, with right tackle Jake Taylor returning to action. The break gave the offensive line more time to build chemistry and allowed for key players to potentially return for true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.
Deion Burks, who leads Oklahoma in receptions (26) and receiving yards (201), missed the Auburn game, but Venables hasn’t ruled him out for the Texas matchup. True freshman running back Taylor Tatum may also return, providing support for Hawkins after his promising debut at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Linebacker Dasan McCullough might make his season debut against Texas after being instrumental in last year’s goal-line stand against the Longhorns.
Steve Sarkisian’s Texas team is also expected to be near full strength, with quarterback Quinn Ewers likely to start after missing the Longhorns’ SEC opener against Mississippi State.
Oklahoma and Texas will meet at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the State Fair of Texas, with the game airing on ABC.
In the SEC, there was significant movement after a wild weekend.
Alabama dropped to No. 7 in the AP Poll, and Tennessee fell to No. 8 after losing to Arkansas. Georgia stayed at No. 5 after a 31-13 win over Auburn, while Oregon and Penn State jumped ahead of the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss rebounded from last week’s loss to Kentucky, moving up to No. 9 with a 27-3 win over South Carolina. LSU held at No. 13, and Texas A&M surged 10 spots to No. 15 after a 41-10 victory over Missouri, dropping the Tigers to No. 21.
Outside the SEC, USC fell out of the AP Poll following a loss to Minnesota, and Michigan dropped 14 spots to No. 24 after a 27-17 defeat to Washington.
