Oklahoma will open the 2026 season in familiar company: the AP preseason top 10.
The Sooners landed at No. 10 in the poll released Monday morning, giving the program its highest preseason AP ranking since 2022, when it entered Brent Venables’ first season at No. 9.
This time, though, Oklahoma is arriving with a much steadier foundation. Venables is heading into Year 5 after a 10-win season and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019.
That kind of jump has changed the mood around Norman. Oklahoma is no longer trying to climb out of a reset. It’s trying to build on one.
A big reason for that confidence is what returns on defense. The Sooners bring back seven starters, along with multiple other contributors, from a unit that was among the nation’s best in 2025. ESPN’s SP+ ranked that defense fourth nationally, and Oklahoma finished near the top of the SEC and FBS in several statistical categories.
The offense also has important pieces back, starting with quarterback John Mateer, All-SEC receiver Isaiah Sategna and four starters on the offensive line. After the Sooners were bounced in the first round of the College Football Playoff last season, the offseason focus was clear: improve the talent around Mateer and make the offense more consistent after it ranked 51st in offensive SP+.
General manager Jim Nagy and Venables went to work there. Oklahoma added All-ACC receiver Trell Harris from Virginia, Texas wide receiver transfer Parker Livingstone, Arkansas tackle E'Marion Harris and three tight ends in Hayden Hansen from Florida, Rocky Beers from Colorado State and Jack Van Dorselaer from Tennessee.
Special teams got a boost too, with Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Tate Sandell and All-SEC punter Grayson Miller both back in the fold.
Put it together, and the Sooners enter 2026 with a much higher ceiling - and the kind of expectations that go beyond simply getting back to the playoff.
Oklahoma is one of nine SEC teams in the preseason AP poll and sits fifth among them. Only No.
3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No.
8 Texas A&M and No. 9 Ole Miss are ranked ahead of the Sooners within the league.
LSU comes in at 11th, Alabama at 13th, Tennessee at 20th and Missouri at 25th. Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Auburn were among the other SEC teams receiving votes.
The season starts Friday, Sept. 4, when Oklahoma hosts UTEP. The Sooners’ 12-game regular-season schedule is rated the fourth-toughest in the FBS by ESPN’s SP+, and it includes six games against teams in the preseason AP top 25: No.
16 Michigan, No. 3 Georgia, No.
5 Texas, No. 9 Ole Miss, No.
25 Missouri and No. 8 Texas A&M.
The full preseason AP top 25: 1.
Ohio State (40) 2.
Oregon (14) 3.
Georgia 4.
Notre Dame (6) 5.
Texas 6.
Indiana (8) 7.
Miami (1) 8.
Texas A&M 9.
Ole Miss 10.
Oklahoma 11.
LSU 12.
Texas Tech 13.
Alabama 14.
BYU 15.
USC 16.
Michigan 17.
Washington 18.
Penn State 19.
SMU 20.
Tennessee 21.
Utah 22.
Iowa 23.
Houston 24.
Louisville 25.
Missouri
In Other News...
Former Sooners TE Jaren Kanak Faces Brutal NFL Setback
Jaren Kanaks path to the NFL was already one of the more unusual stories to come out of Oklahoma in recent years, with the former Sooners linebacker making a clean switch to tight end and putting together a productive final college season. He finished that year with 44 catches for 533 yards, enough for the Tennessee Titans to take a chance on him in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Now the next step in that transition has hit a major snag. ESPNs Turron Davenport reported that Kanak is dealing with a torn pectoral muscle, a brutal development for a player trying to carve out a role at a new position. For Oklahoma fans, it turns a promising pro opportunity into a waiting game, with his NFL debut suddenly pushed back before it ever really began. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Suddenly Has A Crucial Question Up Front
Oklahomas offensive line took an early hit when starting center Jake Maikkula went down with a knee injury in a scrimmage, leaving the Sooners to regroup up front before the season settles in. Maikkula has been a key part of the interior line, so his absence creates an immediate challenge for a group that has to keep the offense steady while figuring out who can handle the job in the middle.
The MRI brought encouraging and frustrating news at the same time, confirming the injury is not a long-term one but still likely to keep him sidelined well into the early part of the season. Oklahoma now has to sort through its options for the spot as it waits for Maikkula to work back toward a return that could come in late September or early October. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Just Sent Oklahomas Front Seven A Clear Warning
Oklahoma has settled on its starting linebackers and defensive linemen as the opener against UTEP on Sept. 4 gets closer, with David Stone and Jayden Jackson set in the interior and Taylor Wein lined up at left defensive end. On the other side, the Sooners still have a little sorting to do, but the group has already given Brent Venables reason to be encouraged after a productive run of offseason practices.
Venables has praised the attitude and progress of the front seven, pointing to several players who have stood out as the staff looks for more consistency and cleaner execution. The message from here is straightforward: the talent is there, but Oklahoma wants that unit to translate its offseason work into something sharper once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]