The start of the Brent Venables era has gone off without a hitch for the Oklahoma Sooners. OU has flown out of the gate to a 3-0 start, but there is one slight problem: Other teams in the nation, particularly the ones ahead of Oklahoma in various polls, are looking just as good.
Bill Connelly of ESPN ranked all 33 remaining undefeated teams (ESPN+), and the Sooners checked in at No. 5, behind names you would expect. Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia are the four teams ahead of OU.
The Oklahoma Sooners are in good company coming in behind three teams from last year’s College Football Playoff field and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Connelly’s message is the Sooners need to beat real teams to rank higher.
Why they’re ranked here: Now do it against real teams. Beat Kansas State’s defense next week, then hold TCU’s, Texas’ and Kansas’ offenses in check after that. Brent Venables’ Sooners have looked the part; now they have to keep doing it. – Connelly, ESPN
That’s not an unreasonable thing to ask. While Memorial Stadium in Lincoln isn’t an easy place to play, the Nebraska Cornhuskers aren’t what they used to be. The Sooners did what they were supposed to do in Week 3. Now, they need to keep doing it against their Big 12 foes.
This is one of the few rankings I’ve seen that has Oklahoma ahead of Clemson. Connelly cited the inconsistent play of DJ Uiagalelei as a reason for Clemson’s rank.
Sub-par or inconsistent QB play hasn’t been an issue for the Sooners; Dillon Gabriel has been very efficient in his first three games as a Sooner.
Conference play is coming fast for every team in the top five. The Sooners finally face some stiffer competition in the Kansas State Wildcats in week four.
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