3. AP Preseason Top 25 College Football Poll: Oklahoma gets the No. 2 respect
There was a time not all that long ago when being ranked in the preseason top two of the AP preseason poll meant everything.
If you were 1 or 2 and won all your games, you were in the national championship mix – you pretty much controlled your own destiny – and you needed help if you weren’t in the preseason top two.
In a College Football Playoff era it doesn’t mean that much to be in the top two, or top four, or anywhere in the preseason polls and rankings, but it’s an interesting measure of respect.
It’s a nitpicking thing when it comes to who’s where in the top four, but it’s still a big thing for a program to show where the expectations are. Again, of course all that matters is to be close, and just getting into the final top four means everything, but this really might be Lincoln Riley’s best Oklahoma team yet and the AP voters recognized it.
And then there’s the part of this going forward that everyone will focus on – the SEC.
Oklahoma might still technically be a Big 12 program, but its heart and mind is off to the SEC. That means the Just Means More conference has the top two teams in the preseason AP poll, four of the top six, and with Texas, seven of the top 21.
A third of the preseason top 21 will soon belong to one league. With the Big Ten having five teams in the top 21, the big conferences are only going to be more important.
But back to Oklahoma and what this ranking means, the pressure is on – and that’s a good thing.
Just winning another Big 12 championship isn’t enough, and just getting to the College Football Playoff isn’t enough. Oklahoma has a team good enough to at least play for the national championship – at least the AP voters think so.
2021 Preseason Top 25 Analysis
Overrated | Underrated | AP Poll is still fun
Winners & Losers | AP Preseason Top 25
NEXT: AP Preseason Top 25 College Football Poll: Yeah, it’s still a big deal