Where does Joel Klatt rank the Sooners ahead of the 2026 season?

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The Oklahoma Sooners are less than a month away from kicking off the 2026 season, and with fall camps fully underway all over the country, it'll soon be time to start seeing how the teams really stack up this year.

For now, we're left with preseason rankings, and FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt released his preseason top 25 on Monday. Klatt has OU ranked No. 9 to start the year, good for fourth in the SEC. For context, Klatt's role at FOX essentially requires him to stump for the Big Ten, and he has three teams from that league inside his top five, compared to zero SEC teams.

Nonetheless, Klatt is high on the Sooners, placing them inside the top 10 ahead of the new year.

John Mateer is healthy, and when Mateer is healthy, he's one of the better players in the country. The problem with Oklahoma last year was that it couldn't run the football, and when you can't run the football, you can't protect your quarterback. Mateer can't do everything, as he physically broke down after carrying Oklahoma's offense in the opening weeks of the season. – Joel Klatt, FOX Sports.

The Sooners have spent the offseason focusing on running the football more effectively, and not placing so much on Mateer's shoulders in 2026. That should bode well for an offense that needs to take a step forward this fall. Fortunately, head coach Brent Venables' defense should be salty again.

This is a team that plays great defense under Brent Venables. That was one of the best defenses in college football, but the offense was woefully short of that standard due to the Sooners' inability to run the football. If I'm an OU fan, I'm wondering if we can finally marry an elite defensive unit with an offense that can be at least OK. – Klatt, FOX Sports.

Oklahoma's schedule will be among the most difficult in the country for the third straight year, but that isn't something that will be changing any time soon. OU is embracing the challenges that come with another brutal slate, taking on Venables' mentality of "no excuses". How the Sooners navigate that schedule will ultimately determine how this fall goes in Norman, Oklahoma.

Joel Klatt's Top 25

1. Oregon Ducks

2025 Record: 13-2 (Lost to Indiana in College Football Playoff semifinals)

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2025 Record: 10-2 (opted out of the Pop Tarts Bowl)

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

2025 Record: 12-2 (Lost to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals)

4. Miami Hurricanes

2025 Record: 13-3 (National Champion runner-up)

5. Indiana Hoosiers

2025 Record: 16-0 (National Champions)

6. Georgia Bulldogs

2025 Record: 12-2 (Loss to Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals)

7. Texas Longhorns

2025 Record: 10-3

8. LSU Tigers

2025 Record: 7-6

9. Oklahoma Sooners

2025 Record: 10-3 (lost to Alabama in opening round of College Football Playoff

10. Michigan Wolverines

2025 Record: 9-4

11. Texas Tech Red Raiders

2025 Record: 12-2 (lost to Oregon in College Football Playoff quarterfinals)

12. USC Trojans

2025 Record:

13. Texas A&M Aggies

2025 Record: 11-2 (lost to Miami in opening round of College Football Playoff)

14. BYU Cougars

2025 Record: 12-2 (Both losses to Big 12 Champion Texas Tech)

15. Alabama Crimson Tide

2025 Record: 10-4 (lost to Indiana in College Football Playoff quarterfinals)

16. Ole Miss Rebels

2025 Record: 13-2 (lost to Miami in College Football Playoff semifinals)

17. Penn State Nittany Lions

2025 Record: 7-6 (Fired James Franklin midway through the season)

18. SMU Mustangs

2025 Record: 9-4

19. Louisville Cardinals

2025 Record: 9-4

20. Washington Huskies

2025 Record: 9-4

21. Houston Cougars

2025 Record:10-3

22. Iowa Hawkeyes

2025 Record: 9-4

23. Tennessee Volunteers

2025 Record: 8-5

24. Arizona Wildcats

2025 Record: 9-4

25. Oklahoma State Cowboys

2025 Record: 1-11

Oklahoma Sooners Football 2026 Schedule

(Home games in bold, away games in italics)

  • Week 1: Friday, September 4th – vs. UTEP Miners
  • Week 2: Saturday, September 12th – at Michigan Wolverines
  • Week 3: Saturday, September 19th – vs. New Mexico Lobos
  • Week 4: Saturday, September 26th – at Georgia Bulldogs
  • Week 5: Bye Week
  • Week 6: Saturday, October 10th – vs. Texas Longhorns (in Dallas, Texas)
  • Week 7: Saturday, October 17th – vs. Kentucky Wildcats
  • Week 8: Saturday, October 24th – at Mississippi State Bulldogs
  • Week 9: Saturday, October 31st – vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
  • Week 10: Saturday, November 7th – at Florida Gators
  • Week 11: Saturday, November 14th – vs. Ole Miss Rebels
  • Week 12: Saturday, November 21st – vs. Texas A&M Aggies
  • Week 13: Saturday, November 28th – at Missouri Tigers

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Where does Joel Klatt rank the Sooners ahead of the 2026 season?

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