Oklahoma Drops in AP Poll Despite Lopsided Week 1 Win

The Sooners are one spot lower than they were a week ago in the AP Top 25 after their lopsided win against the Miners.

Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis and quarterback John Mateer walk onto the field before facing UTEP. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Even though Oklahoma earned a 51-0 win over UTEP in Week 1, the Sooners are no longer a Top 10 team.

OU checked in at No. 11 in the latest AP Top 25, released on Tuesday. The Sooners remained at No. 10 in the Coaches Poll.

The Sooners didn’t leave any doubt in their 2026 opener on Friday. 

They held a 27-0 lead at halftime and only expanded on it throughout the game. Quarterback John Mateer played an efficient game and threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns while the Sooners’ defense held the visiting Miners to zero points and only 198 offensive yards.

Still, the AP poll voters saw LSU’s performance as more impressive than OU’s. 

The Tigers defeated Clemson 51-10 in the first game under coach Lane Kiffin. As a result, LSU jumped three spots from No. 11 to No. 8, leapfrogging Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.

The Southeastern Conference went 16-0 in Week 1 for the first time since 1997, and the league is well-represented in the poll as a result.

Nine SEC teams — Georgia (No. 2), Texas (4), LSU (8), Ole Miss (9), Texas A&M (10), Oklahoma (11), Alabama (12), Tennessee (19) and Missouri (23) — were ranked in the top 25. OU will square off against five of those ranked SEC squads in 2026.

Florida, South Carolina, Auburn and Vanderbilt also represented the conference in the “others receiving votes” section of this week’s poll.

As for Oklahoma’s Week 2 opponent, Michigan dropped out of the rankings after checking into the preseason poll at No. 16.

The Wolverines narrowly escaped with a home win against unranked Western Michigan on Saturday. 

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood connected with wide receiver JJ Buchanan on a Hail Mary to give the Wolverines a 13-12 win in their opener. Underwood’s previous Hail Mary attempt appeared to fall incomplete with no time remaining, but Big Ten officials ruled that one second remained, giving the Wolverines one last chance — which they converted on.

Michigan is the third team outside of the top 25 and earned 69 votes.

OU will look to sweep its home-and-home series against Michigan after last year’s victory. The Sooners took down the Wolverines 24-13 in Norman in 2025, and that win boosted their College Football Playoff resume.

Kickoff between the Sooners and the Wolverines in Ann Arbor is scheduled for 11 a.m.

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