Where did Oklahoma Sooners land in ESPN’s decade rankings since 1920?
A new offseason ranking is just another example of how good Oklahoma’s football program has been each decade since the 1920s.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly went back and ranked the top 10 programs (ESPN+) of each decade and the Sooners faired fairly well, finishing in the top 10 six out of the 11 decades.
Starting with the 1920s, I looked at which teams most thoroughly dominated the sport from decade to decade, using SP+ percentile averages for each team and each decade. How much do these lists change over the decades? What can these averages tell us about how things have evolved over the past 100 years and how much things are evolving now? – Connelly, ESPN
But where did they finish in each decade?
1920s: Not Ranked
Oklahoma went 38-30-11 in the decade. It started hot with a 6-0-1 record and followed with a 5-3 record, but three straight losing seasons ensued.
1930s: Not Ranked
Oklahoma had some decent years, but it wasn’t a great decade. It finished 49-33-12. It ended the decade hot going 5-2-2, 10-1 and 6-2-1 in the final three seasons.
1940s: Not ranked
This decade ended very well for the Sooners. They couldn’t keep the momentum they ended the 1930s with, but they built the foundation for what was to come in the 1950s.
They went 69-27-4 but ended the decade going 8-3, 7-2-1, 10-1, and 11-0.
1950s: No. 1
This was the decade OU finally put everything together, and it was the start of becoming the blue blood it is today.
It finished as the best team of the decade.
This was the decade of the 47-game winning streak, three national titles, eight top-five finishes and two finishes atop the AP poll.
The program went 93-10-2, and it’s arguably the greatest decade in program history.
1960s: Not Ranked
Unfortunately, the Sooners couldn’t keep that decade rolling into the 1960s.
Bud Wilkinson suffered his first losing record in 1960 and retired in 1963 after going 8-2. Their best season was in 1967, when they went 10-1 and won the Orange Bowl. They finished as the No. 3 team in the nation that year. It was the Sooners’ only 10-win season in the 60s and their first since the 1958 season.
For the decade, the Sooners went 62-40-2.
1970s: No. 4
This one came as a little bit of a surprise to me. This was a really good decade for the Sooners; they won two national championships and would have won a third if they hadn’t been on probation in 1973.
In the 1970s, the Sooners had eight top-five finishes and two No. 1 rankings. This was also when Barry Switzer became the “King.”
The Sooners went 102-13-3, which makes it another contender for the best decade in Sooners’ history. The Sooners had double-digit wins in all but two seasons: 1970 with Chuck Fairbanks at the helm and 1976 when the Sooners went 9-2-1 and finished No. 5 in the AP Poll.
According to ESPN, the 1974 team ranked as the second-best team of the decade. It also had three of the five best offenses in that span.
The surprise comes in it having none of the five best defenses of the decade. I mean, the 1974 team allowed 8.4 points per game, and in 1975, the Sooners allowed 12.8 points per game.
1980s: No. 3
The Sooners continued their momentum into the 1980s. They had three top fives and won one national championship.
Surprisingly, the Sooners didn’t rank in the top five in terms of the best team, best offense or best defense. The 1985 defense allowed 8.6 points per game, and in 1986 the Sooners allowed 6.8 points per game. In both years, Oklahoma led the nation in scoring.
The 1985 defense with Brian Bosworth deserves to be on that list.
The Sooners went 91-26-2.
1990s: Not Ranked
If the 1970s and 1950s are two of the best decades in Oklahoma’s history, the 1990s might be the worst.
The Sooners were hit hard by NCAA violations and had trouble finding the right coach, although they’d make a home run hire at the end of the decade.
They went 61-51-3 in this decade, and it’s one I’m thankful I wasn’t old enough to remember. I’m sure most Oklahoma fans wish they had my luxury.
2000s: No. 2
The Sooners finished behind only Texas for team of the 2000s.
Oklahoma had seven top fives and one national championship from 2000-2009.
Let’s look at a comparison with the Longhorns. Texas had one national championship as well. Texas had two Big 12 titles, OU had six.
Oklahoma went 6-4 versus Texas in the decade. As for overall records, Oklahoma went 110-24, and Texas went 110-19. Oklahoma played for four national championships in the decade and Texas played in two.
2010s: Ranked No. 4
The 2010s were kind to the Sooners, but not near as kind as the 2000s.
Oklahoma played in four college playoff games, but didn’t win any of them. They won the Big 12 in seven of 10 years.
The Sooners went 109-25 and had double-digit wins every year but one in the decade. This is also the decade we saw Texas go back to, well Texas.
2020s: Ranked No. 6
Obviously, we still have a long way to go in this decade, and the 6-7 season from last year doesn’t help.
But the decade started well with 9-2 and 11-2 campaigns. The Sooners won another Big 12 title in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. But if they want to keep this decade as one fans look back on fondly, they need to turn the ship around fast.
I don’t think anyone can handle another 1990s. But the one thing this list does show is Oklahoma was a dominant program long before Lincoln Riley ever stepped through the door. No matter how many national media members want to tell you differently.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.
