Oklahoma football: Where does OU rank among best college teams of every decade?

2 of 6

Sep 28, 1963; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bud Wilkinson action against USC Trojans defensive tackle (78) Mac Byrd. Mandatory Credit: David Boss-USA TODAY Sports © Copyright David Boss /

Bud Wilkinson’s 1950s Oklahoma teams

Not surprisingly, Oklahoma did not appear in Connelly’s top-10 rankings until the 1950s, and Wilkinson’s Sooners ranked No. 1 in that decade ahead of No. 2 Ole Miss, Michigan State, Georgia Tech and Ohio State. Oklahoma scored a 96.7 percentile, using the SP+ metric and finished in the top five of the national rankings five times and No. 1 twice during that decade.

The 1956 Sooner national championship team was the best team of the 1950s decade and also was the best offensive team, according to Connelly. The 1952 Oklahoma team possessed the fifth-best offensive team of that decade.

Wilkinson’s great OU teams of the 1950s didn’t carry over into the ’60s, although he remained the Sooner head coach through the 1963 season. In fact, the 1960 Sooners finished 3-6-1, Wilkinson’s only losing season out of 17 at Oklahoma.

Home/OU Football