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Where are the Sooners in ESPN's new Way-Too-Early Top 25?
TL;DR
The Oklahoma Sooners are ranked 13th in ESPN's updated Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2026 season, dropping one spot from 12th. They are sixth in the SEC, facing a challenging schedule with five opponents in the top 25, including four in the top 10.
The Oklahoma Sooners are gearing up for the 2026 season, with the annual spring game set to close out spring practices on Saturday. All over the country, teams are either wrapping up spring ball, or have already concluded their allotment of spring sessions. With no spring transfer portal window this year, rosters are mostly set as we work through the month of April.
With spring in full swing, ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, reflecting all of the player movement that has happened since the national championship game back in January. ESPN has dropped the Sooners down one spot, from 12th to 13th in the spring version of the rankings.
"The Sooners won 10 games for the second time in three seasons under coach Brent Venables. The OU offense fell apart after quarterback John Mateer broke a bone in his throwing hand. The Sooners are hoping he returns to form; his mechanics were better in the spring. Trell Harris was Virginia's leading receiver last season, and Parker Livingstone is a 6-foot-4 target who averaged 17.8 yards per catch with the Longhorns. There's a solid core with Michael Fasusi, Ryan Fodje and Eddy Pierre-Louis coming back on the offensive line. The defensive line lost some depth, but the front seven is very good. Cole Sullivan should step into the starting linebacker corps, and the secondary returns almost everyone." - Mark Schlabach, ESPN.
OU's ranking places them at sixth in the SEC, with eight teams from the conference in the top 25. The Sooners will play five teams in the top 25, with four of those teams in the top 10. That's just a reflection of the tough schedule that Oklahoma will once again have to work though this year.
Head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy have built an offense that looks better on paper than it was a year ago, and a defense that returns many of the players that made it so fearsome in 2025. Oklahoma embraced a blue-collar, gritty, grimy play-style and a "hard to kill" mentality down the stretch of last season, and they'll no doubt look to recapture that ethos again in 2026. After making the College Football Playoff, but bowing out in the first round, the Sooners are hungry for more this season.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where does Oklahoma fall in ESPN's latest Way-Too-Early rankings?
Q&A
Why did the Oklahoma Sooners drop in the ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings?
The Sooners dropped from 12th to 13th due to player movement and performance concerns, particularly after quarterback John Mateer's injury affected the offense.
How many teams from the SEC are in the top 25 of ESPN's rankings?
There are eight teams from the SEC in the top 25, with the Sooners ranked sixth among them.
What challenges will the Oklahoma Sooners face in the 2026 season?
The Sooners will face a tough schedule, playing five teams ranked in the top 25, including four teams in the top 10.
