With Preseason AP Poll, Oklahoma’s 2026 Schedule Most Daunting Ever

The Sooners' schedule has been one of the larger talking points surrounding their 2026 prospects — the AP preseason rankings confirmed a first in school history.

Players lift up head coach Brent Venables during an Oklahoma football practice in Norman, Oklahoma | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The inaugural AP preseason rankings for 2026 confirm what Oklahoma already knew: its schedule is difficult.

For Oklahoma, they come in ranked No. 10. They are the fifth-highest-ranked SEC team. Two weeks ago, the Coaches Poll revealed OU to be the No. 9 team in the nation.

The Sooners will face No. 16 Michigan, No. 3 Georgia and No. 5 Texas within the first six weeks of the season, all away from Norman. Oklahoma will also face No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 9 Ole Miss in Norman and round out their regular season with a road trip to No. 25 Missouri.

Other Sooner opponents like Florida, South Carolina and New Mexico all received votes.

But 2026's gauntlet is historic. The Sooners are set to face four AP top-10 teams, a first in program history since the Associated Press began compiling preseason rankings in 1950.

Year	Opponents' Preseason Ranking
1971	No. 5 USC, No. 3 Texas, No. 2 Nebraska
1973	No. 4 Nebraska, No. 3 Texas, No. 1 USC
1981	No. 9 Nebraska, No. 5 USC, No. 6 Nebraska
1983	No. 9 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 1 Nebraska
1984	No. 6 Texas, No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 2 Nebraska
1986	No. 8 Nebraska, No. 4 UCLA, No. 3 Miami (FL)
1996	No. 8 Texas, No. 5 Colorado, No. 1 Nebraska
2000	No. 8 Kansas State, No. 7 Texas, No. 1 Nebraska
2011	No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 6 Florida State
2024	No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 5 Alabama, No. 4 Texas
2025	No. 9 LSU, No. 8 Alabama, No. 1 Texas
2026	No. 3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 9 Ole Miss

There have been 11 seasons in which OU has entered the year with three AP top-10 teams on its schedule. 1971 was the first instance and the most recent was 2025. Oklahoma has faced three preseason top-10 AP opponents twice during its two seasons in the SEC.

The AP began ranking college football teams during the 1936 season — the years since are commonly referred to as the "poll era." Preseason rankings weren't compiled until 1950, the year OU won its first national championship (Oklahoma entered 1950 at No. 6; Notre Dame was the preseason No. 1-ranked team).

From 1956 to 1990, a streak of 32 consecutive seasons, the Sooners' schedules had at least one preseason AP top-10 team on them. In the 76 seasons since 1950, Oklahoma has avoided a top-10 team on its preseason schedule only 11 times — six of those since 2008 and the most recent in 2023.

Much of the historical data rests on circumstance. Oklahoma did not play 11 regular-season games until 1970. One extra game allowed for a higher possibility of meeting a highly ranked team.

Nebraska and Texas became national powers during the twilight of the Bud Wilkinson era. Those two programs were routinely preseason AP top-10 opponents for the Sooners from the 1960s to the 1980s.

OU football players Harry Moore (55) and Norman McNabb (65) listen to coach Bud Wilkinson on August 30, 1950. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma's time in the SEC has been the story of one difficult schedule after another. Before its first season in 2024, OU had only seen back-to-back seasons with three AP top-10 opponents once — in 1983 and 1984.

In year three as a member of the SEC, Oklahoma will have its third consecutive season with at least three preseason AP top-10 opponents — another first in school history.

For the most part, OU has been at or near their best with harsh schedules.

OU's last national championship-winning team saw three AP top-10 opponents on the schedule during August. The great Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer teams of 1971 and 1973 went a combined 21-1-1 in those two years.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Barry Switzer leads his team on the field against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sometimes, preseason polls do not match the rankings once the games take place.

In 2025, OU looked ahead to three AP top-10 teams (No. 9 LSU, No. 8 Alabama and No. 1 Texas). Texas had lost twice by the time the Red River Rivalry came around and was unranked, while LSU collapsed and was unranked during their game with Oklahoma. Ole Miss had climbed to No. 8 when they came to Norman and defeated the Sooners.

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