For nearly a year, we pretty well knew the Oklahoma Sooners had a tough schedule. What the Sooners went through isn’t really a surprise. The Sooners caught lightning in a bottle in their win over Alabama, but they couldn’t replicate it a week later against LSU.
OU finished the season 6-6 and 2-6 in the SEC, not coming close to meeting the expectations that come with being the University of Oklahoma. But as the saying goes, you are what your record says you are. The Sooners are a .500 team buoyed by a nonconference slate that featured three teams that weren’t ranked in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll after Tulane was upset by Memphis in Week 14.
The Sooners played six teams that finished the regular season ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Here’s how they fared against those teams.
- No. 2 Texas, L, 34-3
- No. 6 Tennessee, L, 25-15
- No. 11 Alabama, W, 24-3
- No. 12 South Carolina, L, 35-9
- No. 15 Ole Miss, L, 26-14
- No. 20 Missouri, L, 30-23
In those six games, Oklahoma was outscored by an average of 10.8 points per game. In the losses, however, Oklahoma was outscored by an average of 17.2 points per game.
How you fare against ranked opponents matters and the Sooners simply weren’t talented enough this season with all of the injuries they suffered on the offensive side of the ball.
It’s going to be a long offseason before the Sooners can wipe the slate clean from what turned out to be a terrible 2024 season. As we await Oklahoma’s bowl destination, here’s a look at the latest US LBM Coaches Poll from USA TODAY Sports.
Full US LBM Coaches Poll.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 12-0 | 1,325 (53) |
| 2 | Texas Longhorns | 11-1 | 1,272 |
| 3 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 11-1 | 1,192 |
| 4 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 11-1 | 1,165 |
| 5 | Georgia Bulldogs | 10-2 | 1,104 |
| 6 | Tennessee Volunteers | 10-2 | 1,025 |
| 7 | SMU Mustangs | 11-1 | 977 |
| 8 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 10-2 | 976 |
| 9 | Indiana Hoosiers | 11-1 | 895 |
| 10 | Boise State Broncos | 11-1 | 840 |
| 11 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 9-3 | 733 |
| 12 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 9-3 | 700 |
| 13 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 10-2 | 665 |
| 14 | Miami Hurricanes | 10-2 | 646 |
| 15 | Ole Miss Rebels | 9-3 | 638 |
| 16 | Iowa State Cyclones | 10-2 | 565 |
| 17 | Clemson Tigers | 9-3 | 457 |
| 18 | BYU Cougars | 10-2 | 419 |
| 19 | UNLV Rebels | 10-2 | 255 |
| 20 | Missouri Tigers | 9-3 | 229 |
| 21 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 9-3 | 225 |
| 22 | Colorado Buffaloes | 9-3 | 215 |
| 23 | Army Black Knights | 10-1 | 196 |
| 24 | Memphis Tigers | 10-2 | 187 |
| 25 | Syracuse Orange | 9-3 | 108 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 18 Tulane; No. 19 Texas A&M;
Others Receiving Votes
Texas A&M 90; Duke 39; Tulane 37; Louisville 18; Kansas State 15; Louisiana 11; Michigan 2; Georgia Tech 2; Miami (OH) 1; Iowa 1;
List Of Voters
The US LBM Board of Coaches for the 2024 season: Tim Albin, Ohio; Major Applewhite, South Alabama; Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina; Mike Bloomgren, Rice; David Braun, Northwestern; Jeff Brohm, Louisville; Fran Brown, Syracuse; Neal Brown, West Virginia; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Jamey Chadwell, Liberty; Bob Chesney, James Madison; Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan; Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech; Spencer Danielson, Boise State; Ryan Day, Ohio State; Kalen DeBoer, Alabama; Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State; Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri; Mike Elko, Texas A&M; Tony Elliott, Virginia; Jedd Fisch, Washington; James Franklin, Penn State; Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame; Willie Fritz, Houston; Alex Golesh, South Florida; Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky; Mike Houston, East Carolina; Butch Jones, Arkansas State; Brent Key, Georgia Tech; GJ Kinne, Texas State; Chris Klieman, Kansas State; Dan Lanning, Oregon; Rhett Lashlee, SMU; Clark Lea, Vanderbilt; Lance Leipold, Kansas; Pete Lembo, Buffalo; Sean Lewis, San Diego State; Mike Locksley, Maryland; Mike MacIntyre, Florida International; Gus Malzahn, Central Florida; Chuck Martin, Miami (Ohio); Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee; Joey McGuire, Texas Tech; Bronco Mendenhall, New Mexico; Jeff Monken, Army; Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh; Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State; Barry Odom, UNLV; Gerad Parker, Troy; Brent Pry, Virginia Tech; Kirby Smart, Georgia; Mark Stoops, Kentucky; Jon Sumrall, Tulane; Lance Taylor, Western Michigan; Jeff Traylor, Texas-San Antonio.