Oklahoma is once again at the top of the college football world – in August.
The Sooners grabbed 42 of 59 first-place votes to take the No. 1 spot in the USA Today Coaches Poll. It is a familiar spot for OU, but it’s the first time for the Sooners since 2003.
The preseason hype continues in Norman for a squad that has had numerous players on postseason award watch lists since June. Due to the departure of Nebraska and Colorado from the Big 12, Oklahoma will have to stay undefeated through only 12 games this season to make an appearance in the BCS title game. It would be difficult to imagine any leapfrogging of an Oklahoma team with a perfect record.
Will the Sooners be on top of this poll in January?
The Cowboys find themselves in a completely different position than the one they were in a season ago. Oklahoma State is in the preseason poll at No. 8 in 2011; OSU was almost universally thought to be a cellar-dweller in the Big 12 South before the 2010 season opened. The likely question in Stillwater is: Can the Cowboys deal with the pressure that comes with high expectations?
Here is the complete poll:
Rank Team (first-place votes) Points
1. Oklahoma (42) 1454
2. Alabama (13) 1414
3. Oregon (2) 1309
4. LSU (2) 1296
5. Florida State 1116
6. Stanford 1101
7. Boise State 1065
8. Oklahoma State 993
9. Texas A&M 885
10. Wisconsin 829
11. Nebraska 814
12. South Carolina 779
13. Virginia Tech 767
14. Arkansas 750
15. TCU 687
16. Ohio State 631
17. Michigan State 536
18. Notre Dame 440
19. Auburn 329
20. Mississippi State 301
21. Missouri 266
22. Georgia 260
23. Florida 240
24. Texas 162
25. Penn State 161
Others receiving votes: Arizona State 158; West Virginia 149; Utah 50; Miami (Fla.) 49; Iowa 41; Northwestern 30; Arizona 28; Central Florida 22; Michigan 19; Air Force 15; North Carolina 14; Houston 13; South Florida 9; Hawaii 8; Clemson 7; Tennessee 7; Southern Miss 6; Brigham Young 5; North Carolina State 4; Northern Illinois 4; Oregon State 4; Pittsburgh 3; Washington 3; Georgia Tech 1; Nevada 1.