Story of the Day

Oklahoma finishes No. 13 in final AP poll after CFP bid, top Venables-era ranking

AuthorEditorial Team

Published

January 20, 2026/12:48 PM

Section

Sport

Oklahoma finishes No. 13 in final AP poll after CFP bid, top Venables-era ranking — Source: Wikimedia Commons / Author: University of Oklahoma

Final ranking caps Oklahoma’s strongest national finish under current coaching staff

Oklahoma closed the 2025 college football season ranked No. 13 in the final Associated Press Top 25, marking the program’s best end-of-season placement since Brent Venables took over as head coach in 2022. The final poll was released Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, one day after the national championship game.

The Sooners finished 10-3 overall and 6-2 in Southeastern Conference play, a record that positioned them among seven SEC teams ranked in the final Top 25. Within the conference, Oklahoma’s No. 13 slot placed it behind Mississippi (No. 3), Georgia (No. 6), Texas A&M (No. 8), Alabama (No. 9) and Texas (No. 12), and ahead of Vanderbilt (No. 15).

How the season ended: playoff appearance and a first-round loss

Oklahoma entered the postseason in the national top 10 but slipped to No. 13 after its final game: a 34-24 loss to Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 19, 2025, in Norman. Oklahoma led 17-0 early before Alabama closed the game with 34 points over the final two-and-a-half quarters. The matchup was staged under the CFP’s expanded format, with Oklahoma seeded No. 8 and Alabama No. 9.

While the postseason ending was a setback, the playoff berth represented a significant checkpoint for a program that had not appeared in the CFP since the 2019 season.

What the final AP poll signaled nationally

The final AP Top 25 was topped by Indiana, which finished No. 1 after completing a 16-0 season and winning the national title over Miami. Miami ended No. 2, followed by Mississippi at No. 3, Oregon at No. 4 and Ohio State at No. 5.

Conference distribution in the final rankings reflected broad national depth: the SEC led with seven ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with five.

Oklahoma’s year in brief

Final AP ranking: No. 13
Overall record: 10-3
SEC record: 6-2
Postseason: College Football Playoff (first round)
Final game: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24 (Dec. 19, 2025)

Oklahoma’s No. 13 finish stands as its highest final AP ranking since Venables became head coach, providing a measurable benchmark for the program’s trajectory entering the 2026 season.