Sometimes the performances don’t go like we think they’ll go. Football is a strange game. A team that looks like a bad or average team one week can look like world-beaters just a few weeks later. That’s what makes assessing the Oklahoma Sooners’ performance against the Nebraska Cornhuskers so difficult.
Nebraska looked like a bad team against Illinois, but against Oklahoma, they had a great game plan for how to combat the Sooners passing attack and the offense looked functional. If not for several missed field goals and or penalties on the Sooners’ half of the field, the score in that game might look quite different.
But the Sooners pulled out the win against a Power Five opponent. And while it may not have been an impressive win from in the “eye test column,” it was a win nonetheless. If Oklahoma wins every game this season, nobody will care what the point differentials were or how they looked. All that matters is that they win.
The Oklahoma Sooners stayed at number three in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll with the win and hold a narrow two-point lead on no. 4 Oregon. Each of the top five stayed the same this week
As far as the rest of the Big 12, Iowa State stayed put at 14 and Oklahoma State dropped three spots in the polls. TCU, who was on a bye is on the verge of sneaking into the top 25 as is Texas.
The Big 10 saw a lot of upward movement as Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State climbed the poll.
A look at the full coaches poll after week one’s games.
Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Alabama | 3-0 | 1,616 | – |
| 2 | Georgia | 3-0 | 1,558 | – |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 1,429 | – |
| 4 | Oregon | 3-0 | 1,427 | – |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 3-0 | 1,283 | – |
| 6 | Iowa | 3-0 | 1,263 | +1 |
| 7 | Clemson | 2-1 | 1,166 | -1 |
| 8 | Penn State | 3-0 | 1,130 | +4 |
| 9 | Cincinnati | 3-0 | 1,125 | -1 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 1,048 | – |
| 11 | Ohio State | 2-1 | 989 | – |
| 12 | Florida | 2-1 | 983 | -3 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 759 | +3 |
| 14 | Iowa State | 2-1 | 700 | – |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 1-1 | 589 | +2 |
| 16 | BYU | 3-0 | 504 | +7 |
| 17 | Coastal Carolina | 3-0 | 500 | +1 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 3-0 | 474 | +6 |
| 19 | Michigan | 3-0 | 423 | +6 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 2-1 | 411 | -1 |
| 21 | Michigan State | 3-0 | 344 | +8 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | 3-0 | 300 | -3 |
| 23 | Auburn | 2-1 | 171 | -3 |
| 24 | UCLA | 2-1 | 170 | -11 |
| 25 | Fresno State | 3-1 | 85 | +16 |
Dropped from the rankings:
No. 15 Virginia Tech; No. 21 Arizona State.
Others receiving votes:
Liberty 80; Kentucky 69; Texas Christian 50; Virginia Tech 49; Texas 42; Southern California 41; San Diego State 41; Kansas State 40; Memphis 27; Boston College 27; Maryland 26; Arizona State 26; Louisiana State 25; Wake Forest 22; West Virginia 19; UL Lafayette 17; Florida State 17; Baylor 13; Army 12; Southern Methodist 8; Nevada 7; Stanford 6; Central Florida 6; Utah State 2; Tennessee 2; Rutgers 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Miami 1.