Sooners No. 4 in Preseason AP Poll

NORMAN — For the 17th time in the last 19 years, the Oklahoma football team is ranked in the Associated Press preseason top 10. The AP released its preseason top 25 Monday morning and OU is ranked No. 4.

The Sooners, who are coming off a fourth straight Big 12 title and a third College Football Playoff appearance in four years, accumulated 1,331 points in the poll. Clemson is ranked No. 1 (1,540 points), Alabama is No. 2 (1,496) and Georgia is No. 3 (1,403).

The rest of the top 10 is comprised of No. 5 Ohio State (1,261), No. 6 LSU (1,199), No. 7 Michigan (1,164), No. 8 Florida (1,054), No. 9 Notre Dame (1,044) and No. 10 Texas (1,005).

This marks the 20th straight year that OU has appeared in the preseason AP Top 25, which is the second longest current string behind Ohio State (31).

This also represents the 61st time that Oklahoma has appeared in the preseason AP poll, second most behind Ohio State (66 times). OU's all-time average preseason AP rank is 6.6, best in the nation (Michigan is second at 7.6).

Additionally, of its 61 appearances in the AP preseason poll, OU has been ranked seventh or higher 43 times. That has occurred in 15 of the last 19 preseason polls.

The Sooners, who have finished in the AP's top five each of the last four seasons, are one of three Big 12 teams in this year's preseason AP poll. At No. 23, Iowa State joins OU and Texas. TCU is the top Big 12 team among those receiving votes with 57 points (31st overall). Oklahoma State and West Virginia received three points each (42nd overall).

Oklahoma, which is also No. 4 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, was the preseason pick to win the Big 12 Conference by the media and boasts five players on the 2019 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Junior tight end Grant Calcaterra, junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, junior linebacker Kenneth Murray, sophomore running back Kennedy Brooks and sophomore offensive lineman Creed Humphrey were among the 28 players to earn preseason all-conference recognition by position. Murray was named the Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year while graduate transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts was voted as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

OU opens the 2019 season by hosting Houston on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Cougars received three points in the preseason coaches poll, which equates to the No. 49 overall spot. They are coached by Dana Holgorsen, who compiled a 61-41 record as head coach at West Virginia the last eight seasons.

Rank	Team	2018
1.	Clemson	15-0
2.	Alabama	14-1
3.	Georgia	11-3
4.	Oklahoma	12-2
5.	Ohio State	12-2
6.	LSU	10-3
7.	Michigan	8-5
8.	Florida	10-3
9.	Notre Dame	12-1
10.	Texas	10-4

Players Mentioned

Kennedy Brooks

Grant Calcaterra

Creed Humphrey

Jalen Hurts

CeeDee Lamb

Kenneth Murray

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics