That Oklahoma loss to Texas proved to be costly as the Sooners slipped out of the Top 10 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. OU dropped eight spots to No. 14 this week in the AP Poll and fell to No. 13 in the coaches poll.
Texas beat Oklahoma, 23-6, handing the Sooners their first loss of the season (5-1, 1-1 SEC). With the win, the Longhorns (4-2, 1-1 SEC) moved back into the Top 25 at No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the coaches poll.
Michigan lost to Lincoln Riley’s USC 31-13, and Auburn lost to Georgia 20-10. The Wolverines dropped out of both polls following their loss, meaning the Sooners have no wins over teams currently ranked in the top 25.
There are plenty of ranked opponents still to face, and Sooners Nation is expecting a positive bounce back. Especially now that starting quarterback John Mateer is back from an injury.
However, even with Mateer directing the offense against Texas, the Sooners’ offense was anemic at best. Kicking two field goals will seldom win you a game.
“I just got done telling the team that today was a bad day and still have a really good football team,” OU head coach Brent Venables said after the game. “Start of the fourth quarter, it’s a one-score game. We hadn’t played great football. But we had our opportunities despite not playing well and doing the things that winning requires. Just the basic blocking and tackling, fitting gaps, making good decisions, catching the ball. Those types of things. Couldn’t get any rhythm in the second half.”
OU will play at unranked South Carolina this Saturday with the kickoff set for 11:45 a.m. Central, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network. Oklahoma’s last five games of the season will be against currently ranked teams.
Ohio State and Miami remained the top two teams in the AP Poll, while Indiana moved up to No. 3 after their 10-point win over Oregon. This is the highest ranking for Indiana in the history of the poll. Texas A&M is now No. 4, and Mississippi is No. 5, having swapped places in the poll after their respective wins over Florida and Washington State. Alabama moved up two spots to No. 6.
TULSA AT EAST CAROLINA
Following a bye week, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane will be in action this evening (Thursday), visiting East Carolina for a 6:30 p.m. Central time kickoff on ESPN. Tulsa is 2-4, 0-3 American, and the Pirates are 3-3, 1-1 American, and are coming off a 26-19 loss to Tulane.
TULSA BEACON RADIO
Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week my guest will be retiring baseball broadcaster Bob Carpenter. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.