The 2024 college football season is nearly here. It’s August and football will be kicked off this month.
With training camps underway, polls are starting to be released to get an idea of the initial rankings — though they’ll likely be shaken up within the first few weeks of play. With conference realignment taking place, watching these polls is quite intriguing as teams in new conferences are being slotted in the Top 25.
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With the first edition of the coaches poll being released, the Oklahoma Sooners were ranked No. 16 in college football.
Oklahoma Sooners ranked No. 16 in the first coaches poll
The Sooners finished last season ranked No. 15 after posting a 10-3 record, including a bowl game loss to the Arizona Wildcats. It was their final season in the Big 12, and they now head to the SEC, accompanied by the Texas Longhorns. Now, while the Sooners didn’t win the Big 12 on their way out, and they’re headed in to a much, much tougher conference, they’re still going to be better than they were a season ago.
Brent Venables is headed into a defining third season as the program’s head coach and both sides of the ball should be improved. He hired new coordinators on both sides of the ball, and the development of key players will ensure the team is competitive rolling into the SEC.
One holdup in their ranking will be the Sooners’ elite schedule. They play a handful of teams that will be in or on the bubble of making the College Football Playoffs. Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee — all of which are on Oklahoma’s schedule next season — were ranked above the Sooners.
Despite being ranked No. 16, the Sooners are the eighth-ranked SEC team on the list. This goes to show how tough playing in the SEC will be for Oklahoma, but the blue blood program will be ready to take on some elite programs as they usher into a new era.
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