CFB Most Influential Programs
#3 Oklahoma Sooners
School: Oklahoma Sooners
First Game: December 14th, 1895
Winning Percentage: .725 (5th)
Appearances in AP/Rank: 899 (3rd)
Average AP Ranking: 7.7
National Titles: 7
Claim to Fame: In its 129 year history, Oklahoma has had 12 losing seasons. For some perspective, they have more national championships and Heisman winners combined than total losing seasons.
Why I have them in my Collection: Don’t tell Texas fans this, but if you’re going to make the case for the most consistent program in the Red River Rivalry, it is easily Oklahoma. Texas has more wins in the rivalry and more overall wins (barely), but in every other major category Oklahoma has the edge.
Oklahoma is the only college football program to boast 4 coaches with 100 or more career wins at the school, and has 6 coaches in the college football hall of fame. That is also a testament to their consistency.
They also have had 7 Heisman Trophy winners, which shows that the Sooners have also been recruiting top end talent across the years as well.
Apart from their rivalry with Texas, a massive rivalry when they were in the Big 8 was between them and Nebraska. During the 70s especially, these two teams were always jockeying for position in terms of who would be worthy of a national title. Their in-state rivalry with Oklahoma State, Bedlam, while dominated by the Sooners, has become a must watch as the Cowboys have improved massively as of late.
Well, it was a must watch.
Oklahoma left for the SEC along with Red River Rival Texas, and as a result the Bedlam Rivalry is not on the books for the foreseeable future. If there’s one thing college football loves more than tradition and rivalry, it is bragging rights and pettiness. Hopefully we can see Bedlam back on the schedule sooner than later, but for now it has been shelved.
Prior to moving to the SEC, Oklahoma found itself in the Big 12, and despite the occasional “disappointment” from other programs winning, Oklahoma really ran the new conference. Yes, even with Texas in it. It seems odd to say Oklahoma “lacks” national titles with 7, but they have been so close so many times that their own fans probably feel let down in some ways. Despite perhaps falling short of expectations on a national level, the Sooners have been dominant on the conference level forever, and it’s hard to find a program that consistently wins as much as the Sooners.
The biggest “downside” to Oklahoma is probably the fact that their band seems to only know 1 and a half songs. Their stand tunes are snippets of their fight song, and excerpts from the musical Oklahoma!. Now, I love the musical Oklahoma!, so this is all tongue and cheek. I just wish their band played a few more things while I’m watching on TV.
All in all, Oklahoma has been consistent pretty much from their inception, and even heading into the SEC they show no signs of letting up. If the Sooners can continue their winning ways, look for them to be a staple in the college football playoff moving forward. We’ll just have to wait and see when they’ll grab another national championship.
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