OU can get highest finish in polls since....?

[MI Sooner]

If we best A&M and Bama loses, we could be ahead of everyone except ND, the Oregon/KSU winner, and Florida, if they win. It's not likely, but an impressive bowl game could get us as high as #4. That would be our highest finish since '04, right? I guess it doesn't matter much, and I think the voters won't acknowledge the Big 12 unless they drastically outperform the SEC in bowls, but the prospects for a high finish do make me a little more interested in the bowls.

Plus, preseason rankings matter, and with how much bowl performance is overvalued (see WVU), a good showing could mean the difference between preseason #3 and preseason #11 next year.

[Soonerjeepman]

honestly i'm hoping all 9 schools win..

[XingTheRubicon]

We finished 3 or 4 in 08

[MI Sooner]

We finished 3 or 4 in 08

We were 5th (behind Florida, Texas, USC, and Utah).

[soonercastor]

nd and Bama will be ranked higher regardless of who wins. KSU/Oregon will be higher, or even both. So highest possible is 4th like you said but that means all those SEC teams in from would have to lose and I just don't see it happening, they're playing ****ty big 10 and ACC teams. Obviously top 10 if we win, I'll take that.

[stoopified]

we finished #6 in 2010,it is unlikekely we can finish that high or higher this year.How quickly people forget!

[LRoss]

Plus, preseason rankings matter, and with how much bowl performance is overvalued (see WVU), a good showing could mean the difference between preseason #3 and preseason #11 next year.

IMO the value of preseason rankings is vastly overrated. Every year we see tons of teams shuffle themselves around based on their competition and the manner in which they win. The idea that one team ends up higher or lower than another purely based on pre-season rankings is 99% myth. Just as an easy example, this year in the coaches poll, LSU started one, Bama 2, Oregon 5. By week 5, (with pre-season 3/4 each taking a loss), both Bama and Oregon had passed LSU which had dropped to 3 despite remaining undefeated. Further back in the pack, Stanford starts out 18, but drops 3 spots after struggling with San Jose St -- K St, Va Tech, and Okla St pass them apparently based on looking better. After they take out USC a couple weeks later though, they jump over TCU and K St, who were both still undefeated. Just a couple random examples from this season, I know this is a bigger discussion but again I don't believe early season polls are quite the caste system that they're often made out to be.

[MI Sooner]

No trophies are handed out for finishing in the top 5, but it's looking more and more likely that strong performance Friday gets us there. A (shared) conference title and a top 5 finish seemed like a pipe dream after the ND loss.

We'd jump LSU and A&M with a win, and possibly Stanford, South Carolina, and the Fiesta and NCG losers as well. I don't go in for the conference pride stuff too much, but I do root for what helps OU. And it doesn't help that OU plays in arguably the toughest conference but is perceived as playing weaker competition. Wins by KSU/ND would help that perception. I DON'T, however, want A&M to be perceived as any better than they are now at seasons end.

[achiro]

If KSU/ND/OU win, OU SHOULD be ranked 3rd but "should" rarely holds true in the polls.

[badger]

I personally don't care about postseason rankings if we aren't No. 1, but if it makes the players/coaches/fan happy can't complain

[Flagstaffsooner]

If KSU/ND/OU win, OU SHOULD be ranked 3rd but "should" rarely holds true in the polls.
Did in '71, NU/OU/CU.

[Ruf/Nek7]

Nd and Bama will both be ahead of OU no matter what. If Kstate loses, they stay ahead and if Oregon loses they stay ahead. Florida got embarrassed by Louisville so we would or should be higher than them. Scar will remain ahead as will Georgia. Lsu could fall behind and obviously we would jump a&m. Now, would tosu stay ranked high even if they didn't play in a bowl? I'm thinking the best we finish is 8th. Stanford also won and would stay ahead.

[BoulderSooner79]

I personally don't care about postseason rankings if we aren't No. 1, but if it makes the players/coaches/fan happy can't complain

I agree with you on the first part, but you need to work on your complaining skills. Just reading this board provides plenty of examples.

:D

[badger]

Forget "should." You know that the pollsters look at wins-losses and forget who they won and lost to. A five-loss team is not going to be ahead of a four loss team, who is not going to be ahead of a three-loss team... etc. This is not always true, but is mostly true.

Take last year's AP poll for example (http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings/_/year/2011)...
1. One loss
2. One loss
3. One loss
4. Two losses
5. Two losses
6. Two losses
7. Two losses
8. One loss
9. Two losses
10. Three losses

The outlier in this formula, the one-loss team at No. 8, was Boise State... and eff them

[OU_Sooners75]

Does it really matter where we finish? No!

It has been proven over and over the last few years, that OU winning is still a loss for the pollsters. What else can explain why we win and slide in the polls?

With the lack luster performances of the teams ahead of OU, if OU comes out and bitch slaps the media flavor of the month, OU will likely finish Top 6.

The Fiesta Bowl winner finishes #2.
The BCS title loser finishes top 4 (likely #3).
The Fiesta Bowl loser will drop by at least 3 spots (#7-#8 range).
If OU wins and wins convincingly, they will likely climb up significantly, but not top 5.

Unfortunately, those SEC teams in front of OU will still get all the love and the ones that won, will remain in front of OU.

Coaches Poll:
1. ND/Bama
2. KSU/Oregon
3. Bama/ND
4. Georgia
5. South Carolina
6. OU (if they win)

AP poll:
1. ND/Bama
2. KSU/Oregon
3. Ohio State
4. Bama/ND
5. Georgia
6. South Carolina
7. Oklahoma (if they win)

[Eielson]

If ND, KSU, and OU all win, that would finish off an embarrassing bowl season from the Pac-12 and SEC, and a very impressive one from the Big XII. If all three of those things happen, the media will HAVE to take notice. However, the odds of those three things happening are very, very low, and we need all of them in order to make a claim for a high rank. If Alabama wins, all SEC struggles are forgotten as they'll have their 7th straight NC. If Oregon wins, their struggles are also forgotten having won two BCS bowl games this year.

[BigTip]

If ND, KSU, and OU all win,

Yes, that is a huge IF. Betting this as a three team parlay, with all of them being dogs, would be a heck of a hit.

But it would be nice if it happened.

[Eielson]

Yes, that is a huge IF. Betting this as a three team parlay, with all of them being dogs, would be a heck of a hit.

But it would be nice if it happened.

Did you finish reading my post?

[dennis580]

If we best A&M and Bama loses, we could be ahead of everyone except ND, the Oregon/KSU winner, and Florida, if they win. It's not likely, but an impressive bowl game could get us as high as #4. That would be our highest finish since '04, right? I guess it doesn't matter much, and I think the voters won't acknowledge the Big 12 unless they drastically outperform the SEC in bowls, but the prospects for a high finish do make me a little more interested in the bowls.

Plus, preseason rankings matter, and with how much bowl performance is overvalued (see WVU), a good showing could mean the difference between preseason #3 and preseason #11 next year.

You crazy? We will NOT be ahead of Bama if the lose to ND.

[IslandSooner]

If you ain't first.... you're last!!!

[BoulderSooner79]

If you ain't first.... you're last!!!

Then why are we playing in the Cotton bowl?

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I personally don't care about postseason rankings if we aren't No. 1, but if it makes the players/coaches/fan happy can't complaintruedat. Most folks, even fans, really don't remember the exact ranking we have in non-NC years. I just remember that we were really good, and were contenders til the end, or we weren't. I do remember all the games where we made it to the NC game, of course, but not the final rating if we lose in the NC game.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

If you ain't first.... you're last!!!well, it IS about winning all the marbles.

[MI Sooner]

truedat. Most folks, even fans, really don't remember the exact ranking we have in non-NC years. I just remember that we were really good, and were contenders til the end, or we weren't. I do remember all the games where we made it to the NC game, of course, but not the final rating if we lose in the NC game.

I don't remember exactly either, but being a bit of a stat geek, I occasionally look back at historical rankings, and higher the Sooners are ranked, the better. Not to mention the media guide/TV factoid (e.g., most top X finishes in the last X years) bragging rights.

[Eielson]

You crazy? We will NOT be ahead of Bama if the lose to ND.

If we win as well as K-State, I see no reason why not. K-State is better than A&M.

[LRoss]

Aren't the coaches obligated to vote the MNC game participants 1/2?

[sendbaht]

Beat A&M and we finish in the top 10...I'll be happy....

[Salt City Sooner]

Aren't the coaches obligated to vote the MNC game participants 1/2?
Just #1.

[8timechamps]

Of course it matters where OU finishes. If it didn't, then everyone would just have quit watching after the Sooners were eliminated from the title game. THAT'S what makes college football so great. It may not have any bearing on the big trophy, but where you finish means a lot to the fans, players and coaches. Whether it be for bragging rights, or just something extra to sell a recruit ("we've finished in the top 5 X many times.."), it matters.

If it didn't matter, then college football would be just like the NFL. Unless you are in the Super Bowl, you are forgotten. Sure, people won't remember the top 5 a year from now, but it matters in college football because college football is crazy like that!

[Boomer Mooner]

I never paid too much attention to post-season or pre-season polls before, but once we start the 4 team playoff for the NC I think it's going to be a lot more important.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Of course it matters where OU finishes. If it didn't, then everyone would just have quit watching after the Sooners were eliminated from the title game. THAT'S what makes college football so great. It may not have any bearing on the big trophy, but where you finish means a lot to the fans, players and coaches. Whether it be for bragging rights, or just something extra to sell a recruit ("we've finished in the top 5 X many times.."), it matters.

If it didn't matter, then college football would be just like the NFL. Unless you are in the Super Bowl, you are forgotten. Sure, people won't remember the top 5 a year from now, but it matters in college football because college football is crazy like that!I view the W/L record as more important than the final ranking, and also which of the pathetic, pi*s-pore non-Sooner teams were the victims of the Sooners. It matters most for the recruiting aspect, although it's still up to the recruiters to present their cases for the university and Sooner football program.

[olevetonahill]

I view the W/L record as more important than the final ranking, and also which of the pathetic, pi*s-pore non-Sooner teams were the victims of the Sooners. It matters most for the recruiting aspect, although it's still up to the recruiters to present their cases for the university and Sooner football program.

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