Oklahoma legend slams SEC media over preseason ranking
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The Oklahoma Sooners were one of the big storylines at SEC media days after returning to the College Football Playoff last season for the first time in the Brent Venables era. Despite the perceived hype, the Sooners were picked to finish No. 7 in the conference by the media.
The Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns ran away with first and second. However, the Ole Miss Rebels, Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide and the Sooners all came within 55 points of each other. Meaning the media wasn't confident in how that grouping would shake out.
This result didn't sit well with Butkus Award winner Teddy Lehman. On his podcast, "The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman," the former Sooner linebacker revealed why he believes there isn't much belief in the Sooners.
"Everyone is kind of really hesitant on Oklahoma until they see the final product," Lehman said. "For whatever reason, the six-win, or you know, the 6-7 first year in the SEC has like totally diminished everything about Oklahoma in a lot of people's minds, and until you are the king of the castle again, or the last man standing, I don't think anybody is really going to believe it."
Despite being picked to finish No. 7 in the SEC, the Sooners have more preseason all-SEC guys than the LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas A&M Aggies, who are all picked ahead of Oklahoma in the preseason poll.
Still, Lehman's comments capture where Oklahoma stands entering the 2026 season. The Sooners have assembled one of the SEC's most talented rosters, but last year's breakthrough wasn't enough to erase the memories of a disappointing debut season in the conference.
Another trip to the College Football Playoff, or an SEC championship run, would go a long way toward changing that perception and restoring Oklahoma's place among college football's elite.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma legend slams SEC media over preseason ranking
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