ESPN VIDEO report from Norman
PRESEASON USA TODAY COACHES POLL PUTS SOONERS AT TOP
The Sooners began two-a-day practices in the wee hours of the morning to avoid the current heat wave.
By mid-morning they found themselves at the top of the newly released preseason USA Today Coaches poll.
Oklahoma received 1,454 points and 42 first-place votes from the 59 coaches on the panel. Alabama had 1,414 points and 13 No. 1 votes. The Sooners are on top in the preseason for the first time since 2003. They wound up third in the final poll that year.
College football brings some changes this year, especially for the Big 12. Nebraska is now in the Big 10. Colorado in the Pac-12. The Big 12 teams will play each other, without any end-of-the-year championship game.
Despite a new college football look, the coaches chose to vote for tradition. Besides Oklahoma at No.1, they voted Alabama second. The coaches poll accounts for one-third of the BCS formula, so the two crimson-clad teams may have a leg up as teams report to camp for preseason practices.
Still, it’s a long season, as Coach Bob Stoops knows.
“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,” says 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.”
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