Oklahoma to Open Season at No. 1

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma will begin the 2011 season as the No. 1 team in the nation according to the preseason Coaches' Poll released Thursday morning (August 4) by USA Today.

Five teams Oklahoma will face during the regular season are ranked in the Top 25 including Florida State (5), Oklahoma State (8), Texas A&M (9), Missouri (21) and Texas (24). The Sooners travel to Tallahassee to face the Seminoles in what could be an early-season matchup between top five teams on Saturday, Sept. 17.

"It's an honor to be ranked No. 1 any time, but we understand that the preseason ranking means very little compared with what it will mean months from now," said Coach Stoops.

"Like a lot of other teams, we face the challenge of preparing for a difficult schedule. Our aspirations are clear in that we want to compete for the national championship, and we're flattered to be considered by others as a program that has an opportunity to reach that goal."

Oklahoma begins the 2011 season in Norman on September 3 when the Sooners host Tulsa at 7 p.m. Visit Oklahoma Preseason Practice Central for the latest official coverage direct from the OU Athletics Department.

Rank		Points
1.	Oklahoma (42)	1454
2.	Alabama (13)	1414
3.	Oregon (2)	1309
4.	LSU (2)	1296
5.	Florida State	1116
6.	Stanford	1101
7.	Boise State	1065
8.	Oklahoma State	933
9.	Texas A&M	885
10.	Wisconsin	829
11.	Nebraska	814
12.	South Carolina	779
13.	Virginia Tech	767
14.	Arkansas	750
15.	TCU	687
16.	Ohio State	631
17.	Michigan State	536
18.	Notre Dame	440
19.	Auburn	329
20.	Mississippi State	301
21.	Missouri	266
22.	Georgia	260
23.	Florida	240
24.	Texas	162
25.	Penn State	161

Others receiving votes:
Arizona State (6-6) 158; West Virginia (9-4) 149; Utah (10-3) 50; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 49; Iowa (8-5) 41; Northwestern (7-6) 30; Arizona (7-6) 28; Central Florida (11-3) 22; Michigan (7-6) 19; Air Force (9-4) 15; North Carolina (8-5) 14; Houston (5-7) 13; South Florida (8-5) 9; Hawaii (10-4) 8; Clemson (6-7) 7; Tennessee (6-7) 7; Southern Miss (8-5) 6; Brigham Young (7-6) 5; North Carolina State (9-4) 4; Northern Illinois (11-3) 4; Oregon State (5-7) 4; Pittsburgh (8-5) 3; Washington (7-6) 3; Georgia Tech (6-7) 1; Nevada (13-1) 1.

Related links:
Why Oklahoma Gets the Nod - USA Today

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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