Sooners No. 20 in Preseason AP Football Poll

NORMAN — For the 24th consecutive season, the Oklahoma Sooners football team is ranked in The Associated Press preseason top 25. The AP released its preseason top 25 Monday morning and OU is ranked No. 20.

The Sooners, entering their second season under coach Brent Venables, garnered 296 points in the poll. OU’s streak of 24 appearances in the preseason AP Top 25 is the second-longest current string behind Ohio State (35). It also represents the 65th time that OU has appeared in the preseason AP poll, second most behind Ohio State (70 times). OU’s all-time average preseason AP rank is 6.8, best in the nation (Alabama is second at 7.1).

Additionally, of its 66 appearances in the AP preseason poll, OU has been ranked 20th or higher 63 times. That has occurred in each of the last 24 preseason polls.

The preseason top 10 consists of No. 1 Georgia (1,572 points), No. 2 Michigan (1,490 points), No. 3 Ohio State (1,400 points), No. 4 Alabama (1,398 points), No. 5 Louisiana State University (1,276 points), No. 6 USC (1,245 points), No. 7 Penn State (1,177), No. 8 Florida State (1,147), No. 9 Clemson (1,032 points) and No. 10 Washington (977).

The Sooners are one of four Big 12 teams in this year’s preseason AP poll. Texas is ranked No. 11, Kansas State is No. 16 and Texas Christian University is No. 17. Texas Tech is the top Big 12 team among those receiving votes with 101 points (26th overall) while Kansas received 10 votes (35th overall) and Baylor received three votes (43rd overall).

OU, which is ranked No. 19 in the preseason USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, was picked third in the Big 12 Conference preseason media poll.