It wasn’t the performance that many expected against a BYU Cougars team that boasts one of the worst offenses and defenses in the Power Five. Oklahoma arrived in Provo as 24.5 favorites over the Cougars.
Still, the Oklahoma Sooners came away with a win to improve to 9-2 heading into the final week of the regular season. Losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State loom large for the Sooners, who are going to need a lot of help to reach the Big 12 title game.
Regardless of how the season plays out, if the Sooners beat TCU on Black Friday, it’s hard not to feel positive about the direction of the program under Brent Venables. Though not a finished product, the Oklahoma Sooners have shown drastic improvement.
This time a year ago, Oklahoma was unranked and had just earned bowl eligibility with a win over Oklahoma State. In the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, the Sooners remained at No. 13 in the nation following their win over BYU.
The Sooners are the second-highest-ranked Big 12 team, coming in six spots behind the Texas Longhorns. Texas held off the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames.
The Sooners were jumped by Ole Miss after the Rebels 35-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
In the rest of the poll, the top nine teams remained the same. The only change occurred as Ohio State took the No. 2 spot from the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan, without Jim Harbaugh, won a dogfight with the Maryland Terrapins to remain undefeated. Ohio State had a dominant 37-3 win over Minnesota.
Georgia remained the overwhelming No. 1 team in the nation, earning 61 of the possible 64 first-place votes. Florida State is still the No. 4 team in the nation but will have some question marks ahead after star quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a broken leg.
Washington and Oregon come in at No. 5 and 6. Whichever team wins the Pac-12 looks well-positioned to make the College Football Playoff.
For the Sooners, they have a shot to finish the season inside the top 10 despite their two losses. Next on the schedule is a home date with the TCU Horned Frogs.
Check out the full US LBM Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Georgia | 11-0 | 1,571 (61) | – |
| 2 | Ohio State | 11-0 | 1,460 (1) | +1 |
| 3 | Michigan | 11-0 | 1,458 (1) | -1 |
| 4 | Florida State | 11-0 | 1,375 | – |
| 5 | Washington | 11-0 | 1,367 | – |
| 6 | Oregon | 10-1 | 1,234 | – |
| 7 | Texas | 10-1 | 1,193 | – |
| 8 | Alabama | 10-1 | 1,174 | – |
| 9 | Louisville | 10-1 | 1,035 | – |
| 10 | Missouri | 9-2 | 981 | +1 |
| 11 | Penn State | 9-2 | 908 | +1 |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 9-2 | 863 | +2 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | 9-2 | 840 | – |
| 14 | LSU | 8-3 | 726 | +1 |
| 15 | Oregon State | 8-3 | 684 | -5 |
| 16 | Arizona | 8-3 | 568 | +6 |
| 17 | Notre Dame | 8-3 | 536 | +1 |
| 18 | Tulane | 10-1 | 493 | -1 |
| 19 | Iowa | 9-2 | 447 | +4 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 8-3 | 424 | +4 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 8-3 | 299 | +4 |
| 22 | Liberty | 11-0 | 158 | +5 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 7-4 | 109 | -4 |
| 24 | North Carolina State | 8-3 | 97 | +6 |
| 25 | SMU | 9-2 | 84 | +3 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 16 Utah; No. 20 North Carolina; No. 21 James Madison
Others Receiving Votes
North Carolina 79; UNLV 76; Utah 75; Toledo 49; James Madison 48; Clemson 25; Troy 17; Texas A&M 6; UCLA 5; Kansas 4; Fresno State 3; West Virginia 2; UTSA 1; Air Force 1