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Oklahoma football: Storylines and other stuff on OU’s rise to all-time top 5

By Chip Rouse

DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 12: Oklahoma Sooners cheerleaders hold up megaphones during the 2019 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 12, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 12: Oklahoma Sooners cheerleaders hold up megaphones during the 2019 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 12, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Oklahoma football has a long and distinguished history as one of the premier programs in college football.

Nothing speaks success in the world of college football like national championships, and the Sooners have seven of those in the Associated Press era (1936 to present), tied for second most (with Ohio State and USC) only to Alabama’s 13. But OU’s national championships over four different decades are hardly the only factor that define the Sooners’ longtime greatness.

Since legendary head coach Bud Wilkinson’s great Sooner teams in the 1950s put Oklahoma football on the national map to stay, no team has won more college football games than Oklahoma. Since 1946, Sooner teams have won 700 games, more than any other school and also own the highest winning percentage (.766) over that span of time

Aside from national championships, perhaps the most impressive and so far timeless of Oklahoma’s numerous historical accomplishments is the 47-game winning streak established between 1953 and late in the 1957 season. Some experts contend that is a record that will never be broken. The closest to it is a 40-game win streak put together by the University of Washington from 1908 to 1914. The Sooners also own a 31-game winning streak (1948-50), tied for the ninth longest in NCAA Division I history, and a 28-game win streak (1973-75).

During the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era (1998 to 2013), Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma teams played for four national championships (2000, 2003, 2004 and 2008) and won one (2000). The Sooners were ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings 20 times, more than any other team.

Another historical area where Oklahoma football ranks No. 1 among all major college teams is the number of 11-win seasons. The Sooners have done that 27 times in program history. Until this past season, OU was tied with Alabama for the most 10-win seasons, both at 41.

Here are several more historical Oklahoma football achievements in which the Sooners rank in the top-five nationally:

  • Oklahoma’s seven Heisman Trophy winners is tied with Notre Dame and Ohio State for the most from any one team.
  • OU’s 11 Heisman finalists are the most of any team since finalists were first announced in 1982.
  • The Sooners’ 11 Heisman runners-up in the voting is also the most of any team.
  • Oklahoma has won 50 conference championships, four more than the next closest team, Nebraska with 46.
  • The Sooners will leave the Big 12 after this coming season with at least 14 conference titles, including six in a row between 2015 and 2020. Baylor an Texas are the next closest with three apiece. Since 2000, Oklahoma has more Big 12 championships than it has lost home games (13).
  • Oklahoma ranks second to Georgia (26) with 24 consecutive postseason bowl appearances.
  • The Sooners have made four College Football Playoff appearances, fourth most in CFP’s eight-year history.
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