Oklahoma slips in latest AP Top 25 just before the Sooners’ first chance to rise

The Oklahoma Sooners just took a step back in the latest national rankings, but it's just before at least two steps forward.

The Sooners dropped a spot from No. 10 to outside the top 10 at No. 11 in the newest AP Top 25 Poll that was finally released on Tuesday afternoon after an extra-long week of college football that didn't conclude until late Monday night. Some OU fans were dumbfounded by the Sooners' slip after dominating UTEP 51-0 in their season opener, but OU's actual performance really had nothing to do with the Sooners' losing respect, which can be quickly earned as soon as this weekend.

Week 1 AP Top 25 Poll

1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas
5. Indiana
6. Oregon
7. Miami (FL)
8. LSU
9. Ole Miss
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12: Alabama
13. Texas Tech
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Penn State
17. SMU
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. Utah
21. Iowa
22. Houston
23. Missouri
24. Louisville
25. Virginia
Others receiving votes: Boise State 86, Florida 83, Michigan 69, Arizona 33, Memphis 23, South Carolina 19, Western Michigan 12, Pittsburgh 11, Navy 10, UCLA 7, Virginia Tech 6, Illinois 6, James Madison 4, Minnesota 4, Colorado 3, Auburn 2, Arizona State 2, Vanderbilt 2

Sooners will rise in next week's rankings with a win at Michigan

The real reason the Sooners went down was because of LSU's rise from No. 11 to No. 8 thanks to the Tigers' 51-10 beatdown of Clemson in Lane Kiffin's Bayou debut. It didn't matter what OU did against UTEP, LSU crushing a quality opponent in the same manner and basic math had the Sooners destined to slip at least one spot.

Now, though, it's the Sooners' turn to garner some national respect with a trip to Michigan next at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are no longer considered the quality of opponent they were this time last week, but still at least on the same level as Clemson, if not higher, plus would give OU a road win.

The Wolverines just plummeted from being the No. 16 team in the country to not being ranked at all after the voters clearly judged their controversial "win" as a deficit. Michigan had suffered a 12-7 upset to defending MAC champion Western Michigan on Saturday, but then a phantom second that the Big Ten replay crew discovered gave the Wolverines a chance to complete a Hail Mary to survive 13-12.

Regardless of whether viewed as 1-0 or 0-1, Michigan obviously isn't UTEP. It's also always a challenge to go into the Big House, where the Wolverines have won 32 of their last 35 home games, and come out victorious.

The Sooners will still earn respect with a win this weekend, no matter Michigan's current standing, especially if it's dominant. Teams above OU will also fall at least a bit, with No. 4 Texas hosting No. 1 Ohio State and unpredictable upsets likely ahead. Even beyond this week, the Sooners, after hosting New Mexico, have two more potential top-5 opponents in the next two games in Texas and No. 2 Georgia.

As frustrating as it might be to see the Sooners slip outside of the top 10 for no reason of their own, we're just getting started, and Oklahoma has enough opportunity ahead to be the most respected team in all of college football by the end.

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