It's no question the Oklahoma Sooners are among college football's powerhouses, but just how close are they to the top?
Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently released a ranking of the top 15 college football programs based on all-time win percentage, and the Sooners were in the top tier of the greatest at No. 5.
Sooners among winningest college football programs
With a football program that started in 1895, before Oklahoma was even a state, the Sooners have consistently won games better than most. OU has an all-time winning percentage of .722 with a 950-348-53 all-time record.
That number puts the Sooners' with the fifth-best win percentage in the country behind only Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame, respectively. That also makes OU the second-winningst football program in the SEC.
Better yet, the Sooners rank one spot above Red River rival Texas, keeping the Longhorns out of the top 5. However, at .704 and with 961 wins compared to 393 losses, Texas could eventually catch the Sooners if the current trajectory doesn't change soon with OU's recent struggles and the Longhorns' resurgence.
The rest of the top 10 included No. 7 USC, No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 Nebraska and No. 10 Tennessee. With Lincoln Riley in charge and USC now in the Big Ten, the Trojans are quickly slipping among the greats. Unless Riley quickly turns things around in 2025, then Penn State could surpass USC by the end of next season.
Former Big 12 rival Nebraska is also crashing under Matt Rhule. It won't happen over the next year, but Josh Heupel could also soon lead Tennessee past Nebraska with the current direction the two programs are headed. But no matter what Heupel does, the Georgia Bulldogs are also riding a quick rise into the top 10 while at No. 11 right now.
Regardless, even after two losing seasons in the last three years, the Sooners are solidified among the greats and tradition proves a lull won't ever last long in Norman.
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