Oklahoma Sooners among the best in On3's preseason top 25

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The Oklahoma Sooners enter the 2026 season in a far different place than they did in 2025. Entering 2025, there were questions about the direction of the program after an injury-plagued 2024 season that left the team scratching to get to 6-7 on the season. 2025 rewrote the narratives as the team proved more than capable of contending in the SEC (10-2, 6-2 in SEC) with wins over Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina on the road and wins over LSU, Missouri, and Auburn at home.

After their playoff appearance, retention of the roster, and retooling through the transfer portal, the Sooners open the season as one of the best teams in college football. Oklahoma ranked No. 9 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and in On3's preseason top 25, the Sooners came in at No. 8.

The high expectations for the Sooners come from a defense returning a lot of talent from a year ago and an offense that brings back John Mateer at quarterback and a more experienced offensive line than the one the Sooners rolled out a year ago. The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the more talented rosters in the country with a group that's built a lot of cohesion on both sides of the ball since the start of last year.

Ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners, the Ohio State Buckeyes come in at No. 1 in the nation, followed by the Oregon Ducks. A pair of Oklahoma's opponents come in at No. 3 and 4 in the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs. Notre Dame rounds out the top five. Coming in at No. 6 are the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers with the team they beat, the Miami Hurricanes at No. 7.

The Sooners will get the opportunity to prove they are one of the best teams in the nation right out of the gate with On3's No. 16 team, the Michigan Wolverines, in Week 2. If the Sooners can get out of Ann Arbor with a win, they'll then have to go to No. 4 Georgia in Week 4 for their first SEC showdown of the season and their first trip to Athens in program history.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners among the best in On3's preseason top 25

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