Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football one of the crown princes of Associated Press Poll era

By Chip Rouse

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 24: Oklahoma Sooner fans sing the school fight song before the game against the Missouri Tigers on September 24, 2011 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Missouri 38-28. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 24: Oklahoma Sooner fans sing the school fight song before the game against the Missouri Tigers on September 24, 2011 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Missouri 38-28. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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A year ago, College Football News came up with a ranking of the 25 greatest college football teams of all-time. Oklahoma football ranked at the top of the list.

The basis for the ranking was the final Associated Press poll for every year beginning with the introductory AP Poll year in 1936 through the completion of the 2018 season. CFN devised a scoring system consisting of 25 points for every AP national champion, 24 points for the No. 2 team, 23 for No. 3 and so forth all the way down to No. 25.

Oklahoma and Ohio State tied for No. 1 with 1,102 total points. Alabama was third, Michigan fourth and Notre Dame No. 5. See the complete ranking here.

A couple of years before that, the Associated Press produced its own ranking of the best teams in college football in the AP Poll era (from 1936 to 2016, in this case).

Ohio State claimed the top spot in the  AP All-Time Top-25 college football poll, with Oklahoma second, Notre Dame third, Alabama fourth and Southern California fifth.

When you look back at the history of the AP rankings, you find these same teams ranked fairly consistently among the top five.

In six weeks or so, the Associated Press will release its 2020 Preseason Top 25. Oklahoma is expected to appear among the top seven teams to begin the season. The Sooners have appeared in the preseason top-25 poll 61 times in 83 seasons. Only Ohio State (66) has more preseason top-25 appearances in the AP Poll that OU.

Oklahoma has been one of the best teams in the Associated Press Poll era.

Here are a few more fun facts that you may not know about how Oklahoma has performed in the AP Poll era.

  • Oklahoma has made 847 weekly appearances in the AP Top 25 since 1936. Only Ohio State (919) and Michigan (866) have more top-25 appearances.
  • Oklahoma ranks No. 3 all-time in the number of weekly appearances (101) as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25. Alabama is No. 1 (122 weeks) and Ohio State is No. 2 (105).
  • Oklahoma is No. 3 in number of AP national championships with seven. Alabama has 11 AP national championships; Notre Dame has eight.
  • The Sooners are No. 1 in the number of weeks ranked in the top-five of the AP Poll.
  • Oklahoma has played 82 games as the AP No. 1 team and was 74-8 in those games, which ranks third all-time. Alabama (104) is No. 1 in that category, followed by Ohio State (88).
  • Barry Switzer leads all Oklahoma head coaches and is tied for seventh all-time with 31 games coached as the AP top-ranked team. Switzer’s teams were 28-3 as the No. 1 team. Bob Stoops ranks 10th all-time, coaching 26 games as the AP No. 1 team. Bud Wilkinson coached in 25 games when the Sooners were No. 1 in the country, 12th best all-time, going 23-2. Oklahoma is the only school with three coaches in the top-12 in that category.
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