After ending the regular season No. 8 in the CFP, AP and Coaches Polls, the Oklahoma Sooners took a step back in the final rankings
The 2025 college football season was a rollercoaster for the Oklahoma Sooners, culminating in a bittersweet end. Under head coach Brent Venables, the team finished with a 10-3 record, securing a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff as the No. 8 seed.
This marked their return to the postseason spotlight after a few rebuilding years, and it represented the program's best finish in the Venables era.
However, a first-round playoff loss to Alabama—a team they had previously defeated during the regular season—left a lingering sense of what could have been.
As the dust settled with Indiana's 27-21 victory over Miami in the national championship game, the final polls were released, painting a contrasting picture of Oklahoma's standing in the AP Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll.
In the final AP Poll, released on January 20, 2026, the Sooners tumbled to No. 13, a five-spot drop from their pre-playoff ranking.
This decline feels particularly harsh when examining the teams that leapfrogged them: Alabama (No. 9), Notre Dame (No. 11), BYU (No. 12), and Texas (No. 14).
Alabama, despite advancing past Oklahoma with a 34-24 win in the CFP first round, was utterly dismantled by eventual champion Indiana in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal, losing 38-3 in a game that highlighted the Crimson Tide's vulnerabilities.
Notre Dame, ranked No. 11 in the final AP, didn't even play a bowl game, opting out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl after being snubbed from the playoff— a decision that drew mixed reactions but certainly didn't involve any on-field postseason proof.
BYU, climbing to No. 12, earned their spot with a comeback 25-21 win over Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, capping a 12-2 season, but this was essentially an exhibition matchup outside the playoff structure.
And Texas, who slipped past Oklahoma in the rankings despite a similar trajectory, closed out with a convincing 41-27 Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan, another non-playoff affair.
This AP drop is nothing short of punitive. Oklahoma proved they belonged among the elite by making the playoff and splitting a home-and-away series with Alabama, including a road win in Tuscaloosa. Yet, voters seemed to penalize them for a competitive loss in the high-stakes playoff environment while rewarding teams that either sat out or played lesser bowls.
It's a classic case of recency bias gone awry—Alabama's playoff win overshadowed their blowout loss, Notre Dame's regular-season resume held firm without a bowl test, and BYU/Texas benefited from feel-good endings in lower-tier games. The Sooners easily proved they were one of the top 10 teams in America, but were penalized anyway.
This ranking feels like total BS, as it undervalues the rigor of playoff participation. In an era where the CFP is meant to crown the best through on-field battles, punishing a team for competing—and nearly advancing—sets a poor precedent.
Contrast this with the final Coaches Poll, where Oklahoma landed at No. 10, a more modest two-spot slide.
Here, they were surpassed by Alabama and Miami, a shift that aligns more logically with the season's narrative. Alabama's head-to-head playoff victory over the Sooners at home justifies the bump, even if their Rose Bowl implosion was embarrassing.
Miami, finishing as national runners-up after a thrilling 27-21 loss to Indiana in the championship, nearly pulled off the upset and deserved recognition for their deep run.
The Coaches Poll, voted on by active head coaches, tends to weigh direct outcomes and championship contention more heavily, making this placement feel earned rather than arbitrary.
Ultimately, these divergent rankings highlight the subjective nature of college football polling in the playoff era. The AP's decision to dock Oklahoma so severely for a playoff defeat while elevating non-playoff winners goes to show how unserious the poll can be.
For Sooners fans, the No. 13 AP finish stings as an undeserved slight, but the No. 10 Coaches spot offers validation.
Looking ahead, with a strong recruiting class and Venables' momentum, Oklahoma is poised to climb higher in 2026. The early preseason rankings from every major outlet have the Sooners in the top 14 heading into next season.