Tag: Michael Hawkins Jr.

Where does 247Sports rank Oklahoma’s remaining schedule?

Oklahoma has one of the toughest remaining schedules in the nation, according to 247Sports.

The Oklahoma Sooners knew they were in for a gauntlet of a schedule when they decided to make the move to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Then, when the schedules for the 2024 season were released, it was clear that OU drew one of the short straws.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team is 1-1 in conference play and 4-1 overall coming out of their first bye week. Only a ten-point loss against Tennessee has kept Oklahoma from the ranks of the unbeaten.

But the schedule gets increasingly difficult for the Sooners beginning with a showdown with the nation’s top-ranked team in week seven. The Texas Longhorns will meet OU in the Cotton Bowl for the 2024 edition of the greatest rivalry game, the Red River Rivalry.

But the big-time opponents don’t stop there for Oklahoma. In fact, 247Sports college football writer Brad Crawford believes the Sooners have the second-toughest remaining schedule in all of college football, behind only fellow SEC foe Florida.

Here’s what Crawford had to say about Oklahoma in his list of the hardest remaining schedules in the country.

The rubber meets the road for Oklahoma beginning with Saturday’s tilt against Texas in Dallas. That’s the first of five games over the remainder of the season against top-end competition in the SEC. New starting quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag]. has his work cut out for him considering the Longhorns are unbeaten and he’s going to have to play four ranked opponents away from the friendly confines of Norman the rest of the way. – Crawford, 247Sports

OU still has five ranked opponents left on their schedule: Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama, and LSU. Only the game against the Crimson Tide will be at home, as the Sooners will travel to Oxford, Columbia, and Baton Rouge after their neutral-site contest in Dallas. That doesn’t include a home date against a feisty South Carolina team.

Gone are the days of teams like Iowa State, West Virginia and TCU making up part of the Big 12 slate for the Sooners. They’ve been replaced with much tougher opponents. But, with tougher competition comes a greater platform to make a statement to the college football public. And it begins this week against the No. 1 team in the country.

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Oklahoma climbs in ESPN Power Rankings during the bye week

The Oklahoma Sooners moved up in the latest ESPN Power Rankings while on a bye during a wild week six.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Oklahoma Sooners. Fresh off their win over the Auburn Tigers, the Sooners had a chance to rest up and get back key players ahead of the Red River Showdown with Texas.

The Sooners had their starting offensive line together for the first time against the Tigers. The offensive results weren’t staggering, but there was an improved performance in the running game, and true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] looked to have more time to operate from the pocket. The bye week provides the offensive line more time to rebuild familiarity with the unit dealing with injuries since fall camp.

There’s more good news on the way, with [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], and Dasan McCullough potentially returning for the Sooners in the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma will need all hands on deck as they prepare for the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.

While on the first of their two bye weeks, the college football world went crazy. Top 10 teams Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, and Michigan all lost to teams that were either unranked or, in Texas A&M’s case, just inside the top 25.

It created big movement in our SEC Power Rankings and in the US LBM Coaches Poll after week six.

Getting a reprieve from their first two games of life in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], the Sooners still earned a two-spot bump in the latest ESPN Power Rankings, moving to No. 20 in the nation. While lower than both the Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25, the Sooners still maintain a respectable ranking.

Here’s what ESPN’s Max Olson had to say.

The Sooners had the week off and extra time to prep for their showdown with Texas in the Red River Rivalry. The bye week was particularly well timed for this team, giving Brent Venables’ staff more time to adjust on offense and build up QB Michael Hawkins Jr.’s confidence ahead of the true freshman’s second college start.

More importantly, Hawkins’ playmakers need to get healthy. Brent Venables said WR Deion Burks and RB Taylor Tatum could potentially return for Red River. Oklahoma will need all hands on deck against a Texas defense that’s allowing seven points per game. – Olson, ESPN

It all comes down to the offense for the Oklahoma Sooners. Can they build off of some of the good things they did against Auburn? Can Hawkins find an even greater comfort level in the offense? Can the Sooners’ run game get going with greater cohesion up front? Can Deion Burks help open up the passing game?

Those are important questions for a team that’s been relying too much on their defense to win football games for them.

The offense has created big plays with Hawkins under center, and they’ll need more of that but also a more consistent flow for four quarters to have a chance to beat the Texas Longhorns.

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SEC chaos in week 6 revealed anything’s possible ahead of OU-Texas

It was a wild week in the SEC in week six, with several top teams falling prey to an upset. Can Oklahoma keep it rolling?

The Oklahoma Sooners aren’t being given much of a shot heading into the Red River Showdown. It’s understandable. The Sooners have a lot to improve on offense heading into the Cotton Bowl. They’ve undergone a quarterback change and needed a lot to go right in the fourth quarter against [autotag]Auburn[/autotag].

A week off gave true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag]. more work with the first-team offense and the Sooners more time to get healthy. With a matchup with the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, could the Sooners keep the chaos we witnessed in Week 6 rolling?

OU and Texas play in the biggest rivalry in the sport. It’s one that the Longhorns lead in the all-time series, but a matchup that Oklahoma has dominated for much of the last 25 years.

Yes, the Longhorns look like the better team on paper. They’re the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason. At the same time, what happened in Week 6 provides hope that the Sooners could pull off an upset, much like they did last year when Texas was a top-five team in the nation.

Vanderbilt beat the No. 1 team in the AP Poll for the first time in program history. Arkansas, who dropped a game to Texas A&M the week before, beat what looked like a national title contender in the Tennessee Volunteers. Missouri, which many thought was a national title contender, was dominated by Texas A&M. In week five, an unranked Kentucky team went into Oxford, Mississippi, and knocked off the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels.

Through six weeks of the 2024 college football season, the only thing that seems certain is uncertainty. And the SEC may be as wide open as ever.

People are claiming Texas is an elite team. They very well may be.

Well, Saturday before Alabama-Vanderbilt kicked off, those same people were saying the same thing about Alabama. I know I was. But how quickly opinions change.

Texas is a really good football team. They dominated Michigan in Ann Arbor earlier in the season. Although the Wolverines don’t have a passing game, the Longhorns completely shut down their impressive rushing attack. At the same time, that Michigan team just lost by 10 to an unranked Washington squad.

Despite their spot at the top of the national rankings, we still don’t know exactly how good the Longhorns are just yet. Again, they’re a really good team, but how good?

The same can be said for the Oklahoma Sooners. They’ve yet to play their best football in 2024.

Oklahoma has a defense that looks ready to roll into the Cotton Bowl. They have one of the best front sevens in the nation and a secondary that has played good ball despite a few big plays allowed against Auburn and Tennessee.

Offensively, the Sooners had some good moments in the fourth quarter against Tennessee and in the win over Auburn. Hawkins is protecting the football and showing off his ability to create big plays with his arm and his legs. The offensive line is the healthiest it has been all season, which could create an opportunity to find a better running game and improved protection for the Sooners true freshman quarterback.

This week, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who picks the Oklahoma Sooners in this big-time rivalry matchup. But as we’ve seen this season in the SEC, there are few guarantees. And in a rivalry game as big as OU-Texas, there’s no telling which way next Saturday could go.

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How did Michael Hawkins Jr. ascend to start for the Oklahoma Sooners?

How did Michael Hawkins Jr. ascend to start for the Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners made a quarterback switch just four weeks into the 2024 season. Sophomore [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] had been the heir apparent to the departed Dillon Gabriel, but after a shaky first three games, Arnold looked overwhelmed in OU’s loss to Tennessee. During the offseason, the talk was about getting Arnold developed, but a month into the season, the narrative changed drastically. Some of that is on Arnold, but a lot of it isn’t.

However, three first half turnovers from Arnold in week four forced head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] to pull his starter and insert freshman [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] into the game. The youngster settled in against the Volunteers and moved the ball in the late stages of the game, earning his first career start against Auburn the following week.

Though Hawkins’ stats against Auburn weren’t anything to write home about, he was impressive in the face of pressure and made big-time plays, serving as one of the undeniable heroes of OU’s comeback road win. He’s done more than enough to stay as the starter for next week’s game against Texas, and if he continues to play well, take care of the ball, and develop, he’ll likely be the guy for the rest of the season.

But who is Michael Hawkins Jr.?

Everyone expected he’d be Arnold’s backup for at least the next two seasons, but his time in the spotlight has come early. He has an opportunity to start a lot of games in Norman over the next few years if he can help turn this offense around in the lion’s den of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Hawkins’ father, Michael Sr., played cornerback at Oklahoma in 2002 before leaving to play for the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2005 as a fifth-round selection. He also played for the Browns, Vikings, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Raiders from 2006 to 2009.

Michael Jr. played at Allen High School, the former home of Kyler Murray. For his senior season, Hawkins switched to Frisco Emerson High School, leading his team on a deep playoff run in 2023. According to MaxPreps, during his senior season, he accounted for 3,039 passing yards with 41 touchdowns through the air and 1,192 rushing yards with 14 touchdowns on the ground.

As a star at both schools, he earned a four-star ranking from 247Sports Composite. He held notable offers from schools like Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, TCU, and Missouri but committed to OU on April 8th, 2023. His decision came down to the Sooners and the hometown Horned Frogs (after Kendal Briles made the move to Fort Worth), but his dad’s alma mater won out in the end. He signed with the Sooners that December and enrolled early in January as a part of the 2024 recruiting class.

Though he committed to play for former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, he never got to be coached by the current head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He stayed committed to new co-offensive coordinators [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag], and arrived on campus in a battle to back up Arnold. Hawkins beat out [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag] to become QB2, offering an intriguing glimpse of the future with his dual-threat capabilities.

In both spring ball and fall camp, there was buzz about Hawkins’ abilities on the practice field.

 

In 2024, Hawkins has completed 62.2% of his passes for 310 yards and a touchdown. He’s also ran for 101 yards and a touchdown. He showed off his big arm on the 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester and his great speed and athleticism during his first six quarters. And as important as that, he’s shown that the moment isn’t too big for him.

The Sooners have a date with the No. 1 team in the nation coming next Saturday, and they’ll need every bit of Hawkins’ abilities to shine on that day in Dallas.

Hawkins will become the first true freshman quarterback to start for Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout and provides a very exciting look ahead to what Sooner Nation hopes to see out of the quarterback position.

Fixing OU’s offensive problems isn’t all on Hawkins’ shoulders, nor should they be. The problems may not be fixable this season or even with the current coordinators. However, if OU can find more consistency in moving the football with some explosive plays mixed in, the country could be in for some trouble.

And it could be Michael Hawkins Jr. who is the face of it all.

Watch: OU Football interviews Michael Hawkins Jr.

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Michael Hawkins Jr. displaying unwavering demeanor as Sooners’ starting quarterback

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. displaying the right mindset early in his tenure as the starting quarterback.

When the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns meet in the Red River Rivalry next Saturday, it will be one of the biggest games of the year. The Sooners look to pull off an upset over the No. 1 team in the country in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Though many overlook the Sooners against Texas, the program is trending in a better direction.

The offensive line is the healthiest it has been all year. The wide receiver room will likely have [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] back for OU-Texas. But what has given the Sooners more life has been the play of quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. He’ll make the second start of his career when the Sooners face the Longhorns, providing Hawkins with another big-time environment to overcome.

When meeting with the media this week, Brent Venables shared the mentality he wants Hawkins to continue to have heading into the big-time matchup in Dallas.

“You know, he’s got to not try to win the game in the first drive of the game, and play within the system, take care of the football. You do that. And you got good special teams, you got a good defense, and you can make some plays with guys around you. You have a chance to win each and every week.” Venables said. “Don’t want the moment the emotions of what that game means to everybody, emotions that will be in the stadium, the intensity to hijack the focus that it takes to have the details so we can execute at a really high level. Execution wins, not emotion, and not all the fans and everything else that’s going to be going.”

Through 1 1/2 games, Michael Hawkins doesn’t look like a player who gets caught up in the emotions of the game. He’s looked comfortable in the offense. He has played within himself, not trying to do too much or force plays that aren’t there.

He’s taken care of the football, and he’s provided some big plays along the way. Hawkins looks confident in what he’s doing and what he’s being asked to do.

In 2024, Hawkins is completing 62.2% of his passes for 310 yards. He’s thrown a touchdown and ran for a touchdown. If you take sack yardage out of the equation, as Pro Football Focus does, Hawkins has ran for 127 yards at 5.3 yards per carry this season.

He displayed an unwavering demeanor in his first meaningful action against Tennessee and Auburn. Thrown into the fire at the end of the first half while down 16 to the Volunteers, Hawkins orchestrated a couple of fourth-quarter touchdown drives to give the Sooners an opportunity to get back into the game.

On Saturday, in Auburn, Alabama, Hawkins was unfazed by the big-time SEC environment. When his team was down 11 and needed its quarterback to make a play, he completed a 60-yard bomb to J.J. Hester on a perfect throw down the sideline.

What’s allowed Hawkins to have success in his limited experience as the Sooners starting quarterback?

“He’s super consistent, he’s calm, really cerebral, he’s super coachable,” Venables said.

It’s a message that Hawkins reiterated ahead of the biggest game in his young career.

“Just being consistent,” Hawkins said after practice on Wednesday. “Focus on the little details that we need to get better at. Myself, focus on the things that I need to get better at going into this Texas game. Then, when next week comes, tune in on the game plan and get it going from there.”

Hawkins has shown he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. He’s sacrificed his body at the goal line in back-to-back weeks to get the Sooners points. He’s also playing controlled football and looks like a player who understands the Sooners have a good team around him.

Against Texas, in a little more than a week, Hawkins and the Sooners will face their biggest test yet. But if the last two games are any indication, he won’t be rattled by the moment.

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Bob Stoops praises Sooners QB Michael Hawkins Jr. after win

Bob Stoops was impressed with Michael Hawkins Jr. in his first career start.

Oklahoma Sooners true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag]. has earned plenty of praise for his performance in OU’s come-from-behind win over the Auburn Tigers. Making his first career start at the collegiate level, Hawkins looked calm and under control, making the big plays when necessary to guide Oklahoma to the 27-21 win. His head coach, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], called him “fearless” after the game.

Another man who knows what it’s like to coach the Sooners weighed in with his opinion of Hawkins’ first-ever college start. That would be former OU head coach [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag], who spent 18 seasons running the show in Norman. He too was impressed with what he saw from Oklahoma’s new starting quarterback, giving the freshman high praise when he appeared on KREF Sports earlier this week.

“I though he was outstanding,” Stoops said. “He played within himself, played smart. I love the fact that in certain situations when nothing was there, he ate the ball. Sometimes you gotta do that, live to play another series and don’t make a big mistake. I thought overall that’s what he did. I said it right after the game, I said he was smart. He never forced anything and that’s what you do on the road. Sometimes you just gotta suck it up, eat the ball, punt and live to play another series.

As Stoops alluded to, Hawkins avoided making the big mistake that plagued the Sooners in the first half the week prior against Tennessee. Hawkins hasn’t turned the ball over once in the game-and-a-half of meaningful college football that he’s played.

The freshman went 10-for-15 for 161 yards passing, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 69 rushing yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion on 14 carries without a fumble.

Oklahoma got its first conference win as a member of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in wild fashion, defeating the Tigers after trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter. The Sooners now turn their attention to the bye week, before they’ll get ready to face the Texas Longhorns on October 12.

R Mason Thomas becoming Oklahoma Sooners closer

Oklahoma has benefitted from the late-game play of R Mason Thomas in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners nearly had the game slip away from them on Saturday against Auburn, but there wasn’t just one player who helped OU storm back to take the lead and hold off the Tigers.

Quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] shined in his first career start, providing the Sooners with enough big plays to get the win.

Linebacker [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] made a play of the year candidate, intercepting a pass and returning it for 63 yards to give OU a lead it didn’t relinquish.

Safety [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] had a pivotal sack that pushed Auburn’s offense back once the Sooners took the six-point lead.

But it was defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] who came up huge on back-to-back plays when the Sooners led by just three.

With the Tigers facing a third-and-5 at their 44-yard line with two minutes left, Thomas came around the edge and sacked Payton Thorne for a 6-yard loss. Head coach Hugh Freeze decided to roll the dice and try to pick up a fourth-and-11 and extend the drive.

Yet again, Thomas dealt a crushing blow to Auburn’s hopes. He chased Thorne all the way back to the Auburn 25, sacking the quarterback after it looked like Thorne might escape the pressure.

The two massive plays allowed OU to kick a field goal after Freeze was forced to burn his timeouts. Backup kicker [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] drilled the ball through the uprights, and the Sooners held a six-point lead. The Tigers ran just five more plays, completing a Hail Mary well short of the end zone.

Thomas, who has become the best pass rusher on this team, stopped any momentum Auburn had, preventing the Tigers from getting anywhere close to field goal range. He had a similar performance a few weeks ago in OU’s win over Tulane, taking over in the late stages of that game when the Green Wave were trying to mount a comeback.

Oklahoma’s pass rush hasn’t gotten home very often this year. The Sooners have relied more on their run defense and sending extra defenders when it was time to get after the passer. Twice now, Thomas has risen to the occasion when the opponent had a chance to drive for a score at the end of the game.

The Sooners entered the season needing a “closer” to emerge from their defensive line. After five games, they may have found just that in Thomas.

Oklahoma Sooners get a bump in ESPN’s updated power rankings

Michael Hawkins Jr. and some huge defensive plays late in the game fueled the Sooners comeback win over Auburn and the Sooners earned a bump in ESPN’s latest power rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners earned a much-needed win over the Auburn Tigers in a tough SEC environment. Heading into the bye week, OU football can feel better about the direction of the team and, in particular, the offense after [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] put together another strong performance in the win.

The stats don’t jump off the page, but Hawkins played the game the Sooners needed him to. He was efficient, completing 67% of his passes. He came through with several big plays, including a 48-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester to set up a critical fourth-quarter touchdown run by Jovantae Barnes.

Despite making his first start on the road, Hawkins didn’t put the ball in harm’s way and looked in complete control of the offense.

It was a confidence-building win for the Sooners, who moved up two spots in ESPN’s updated power rankings after Week 5.

Brent Venables called it Sooner Magic, and he certainly has a point. How else can you rationally explain what Oklahoma pulled off against Auburn? Down 21-10 early in the fourth quarter of its first SEC road test, the Sooners dug deep and played their best football late, rallying for a 27-21 victory.

New starting quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. sparked the rally with a 60-yard shot to J.J. Hester to set up the first score, and linebacker Kip Lewis made an epic play to flip the game, a 63-yard pick-six with less than 5 minutes left. Oklahoma needed this win in a lot of ways and found a way to get it done. That’s a confidence booster for this squad as it begins preparing for Texas and the Red River Rivalry. – Olson, ESPN

The Sooners came up with big plays in the biggest moments in their win over Auburn. It was a repeat of what we saw from Hawkins in the fourth quarter against Tennessee. But instead of having to climb out of a 19-3 hole, the Sooners were just down 11, and the defense helped him out with a go-ahead score.

But if it wasn’t for Hawkins’ dime to Hester to set up Jovantae Barnes’ rushing touchdown, who knows how the remainder of the game goes? The Sooners proved resilient to pick up their first SEC win. And it comes at a huge time as the Sooners enter the bye week ahead of the Red River Showdown in Week 7.

More: SEC Power Rankings after Week 5

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3 stars from Oklahoma’s electric comeback win on the road

It took a team effort to earn a comeback win on the road against the Auburn Tigers, but three Sooners earned this weeks 3 stars of the game.

Oklahoma showed tremendous grit on Saturday. It’s safe to say the win against Auburn will probably go down as one of the best wins of the Brent Venables era to this point.

Oklahoma looked dead in the water when Auburn extended its lead to 21-10 early in the fourth quarter. The Sooners appeared well on their way to back-to-back losses and an 0-2 start in its foray into the SEC. However, Venables’ team never stopped competing and did whatever was possible to make it a game. It eventually completed the comeback, and the Sooners returned to Norman for a much-needed bye week with their first SEC win.

As one would expect, the game had peaks and valleys. There was a long stretch in which Oklahoma’s offense looked lifeless or drives were killed by penalties. Auburn just imposed its will on a few defensive possessions by running the ball straight at Oklahoma’s strength in the front seven. Pair that with big plays allowed in the passing game, and the Sooners were ripe for defeat until several big plays in the fourth quarter turned the tide on the Tigers.

It took a team effort to pull out the win, but a few players stood out with their game-changing performances. Here are this week’s three stars from the win.

R Mason Thomas, Edge

R Mason Thomas is undoubtedly a star on the Oklahoma Sooners defense. He has filled a pass-rushing void that dates back to the departure of Nik Bonitto after the 2021 season. Brent Venables has a go-to pass rusher this team can rely upon come crunch time to end a drive or end a game.

His two sacks in the fourth were vital. Auburn was down three late in the game when it faced third-and-5 just after the two-minute timeout. There was plenty of time to mount a comeback. Oklahoma’s defense was worn out, but it was running on pure adrenaline and a will to win.

Off the snap, Thomas ducked around the left tackle and was on quarterback Payton Thorne in a hurry, recording the sack and setting up a fourth-and-11. On the next play, coming off the left side of the defense, Thomas brought the pressure to Thorne once again. The Auburn quarterback eluded the initial pressure, but Thomas hustled like crazy and circled back. With assistance from Gracen Halton, who kept Thorne in the pocket, Thomas brought the thunder for the sack and forced the turnover on downs.

Oklahoma killed some clock and kicked a field goal to extend its lead to six. But the game could have been far more stressful in the final two minutes without Thomas’ late-game heroics. For the second time in three weeks Thomas was the closer for the Sooners.

Up Next: Defender Saves the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners in the US LBM Coaches Poll after win over Auburn?

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners land in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll after their win over Auburn?

It’s amazing how a couple of plays can change the outcome of a game.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Sooners’ offense had difficulty moving the ball against Auburn, and the Tigers’ offense controlled the clock. Then [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag]. hit J.J. Hester for a 60-yard strike on a perfectly placed deep ball down the right sideline. Hester was tackled inside the five, which set up Jovantae Barnes’ touchdown to pull the Sooners within five.

With the pressure mounting on Auburn’s next series, Payton Thorne was intercepted by linebacker Kip Lewis, who took it 63 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

The Sooners earned their first win in the SEC in Hawkins’ first career start.

With the win, the Oklahoma Sooners moved up one spot in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll after their remarkable comeback.

The Sooners are the eighth-highest-ranked team in the SEC with the Texas Longhorns moving into the No. 1 spot in the nation two weeks ahead of the Red River Showdown. Alabama moved up to No. 2 with their win over Georgia. Ohio State comes in at No. 3 and Tennessee at No. 4. The Bulldogs dropped back to No. 5 after their loss to the Crimson Tide.

Here’s a look at the full US LBM Coaches Poll for Week 5.

Ranking Team Record Points
1 Texas Longhorns 5-0 1,339 (29)
2 Alabama Crimson Tide 4-0 1,330 (19)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 4-0 1,281 (7)
4 Tennessee Vols 4-0 1,163
5 Georgia Bulldogs 3-1 1,153
6 Oregon Ducks 4-0 1,090
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 4-0 1,062
8 Miami Hurricanes 5-0 981
9 Missouri Tigers 4-0 948
10 Michigan Wolverines 4-1 792
11 Ole Miss Rebels 4-1 743
12 LSU Tigers 4-1 725
13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-1 702
14 Clemson Tigers 3-1 671
15 USC Trojans 3-1 660
16 Iowa State Cyclones 4-0 500
17 Oklahoma Sooners 4-1 470
18 Utah Utes 4-1 408
19 BYU Cougars 5-0 375
20 Kansas State Wildcats 4-1 242
21 Texas A&M Aggies 4-1 198
22 Louisville Cardinals 3-1 197
23 UNLV Rebels 4-0 180
24 Indiana Hoosiers 5-0 143
25 Illinois Fighting Illini 4-1 122

Schools Dropped Out

No. 20 Oklahoma State;

Others Receiving Votes

Boise State 103; Pittsburgh 51; Arizona 44; Rutgers 35; Iowa 29; James Madison 25; Duke 22; Kentucky 17; Oklahoma State 15; SMU 14; Nebraska 12; Navy 9; Colorado 9; Boston College 6; Army West Point 3; UCF 2; Liberty 2; Tulane 1; South Carolina 1;

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