Oklahoma Back on the Move in the Polls Following Emphatic Victory Over South Carolina

The Sooners rebounded from their first setback of the year with an impressive showing against Shane Beamer's Gamecocks.

Oklahoma linebacker Sammy Omosigho celebrates one of the Sooners' many defensive stops against South Carolina. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Oklahoma seized momentum back in South Carolina. 

The Sooners responded to their setback against Texas with a 26-7 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

After a chaotic week across the country that saw multiple top 10 teams fall for the first time this year, OU will take wins any way it can get them, but the defensive performance on Saturday, paired with Oklahoma’s efforts to rush the ball, was especially encouraging. 

Brent Venables’ squad checked in at No. 13 in the AP Poll and the Sooners moved up two spots to No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. 

Now, OU embarks on its treacherous SEC stretch. 

This week, Oklahoma hosts Ole Miss for the first time. 

The Rebels fell three spots to No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the Coaches Poll following their 43-35 loss to Georgia. 

SEC Nation will be back on hand in Norman for the second time this year to mark the occasion. 

After clashing with Lane Kiffin and Mississippi, the Sooners will again hit the road to take on Tennessee. 

The Volunteers also took a slight step back in the AP Poll, falling to No. 17, after losing to Alabama. 

Oklahoma will then enjoy an open weekend before hitting the road to battle the Crimson Tide, who have surged all the way to No. 4 in the AP Poll after notching another ranked victory. 

The Sooners will then close the 2025 regular season with a pair of home contests against No. 15 Missouri and No. 20 LSU.

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Venables’ group will learn how they are viewed in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Committee following the trip to Knoxville. 

The first batch of CFP rankings for the 2025 season will be revealed on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.

Oklahoma’s pair of marquee September victories has lost a bit of luster. 

Auburn is still on the search for its first SEC victory of the year after losing to Missouri in double overtime on Saturday night. 

Michigan took a positive step this weekend after falling to USC last week. 

The Wolverines are back up to No. 25 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the Coaches Poll. 

Texas also avoided an embarrassing defeat to Kentucky on Saturday night, which would have made the loss to the Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry that much more frustrating. 

The Longhorns held steady at No. 22.

Style points won’t matter down the stretch for the Sooners, however. 

Oklahoma has an opportunity to notch a big win in each of its five remaining regular-season games, and OU still holds the ability to chart its own path to the CFP with a strong close to the season over the next six weeks.