The Oklahoma Sooners open the season in the top 10 of the US LBM Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 9 in the nation. The Sooners open training camp on Wednesday and are less than a month from their season opener against the UTEP Miners on September 4.
The Sooners certainly look like one of the best teams in college football. The schedule is difficult, but Oklahoma navigated a difficult schedule last season too on their way to a 10-2 record and a College Football Playoff appearance.
Taking the top spot in the poll are the Ohio State Buckeyes, garnering 38 first-place votes from the coaches. They're followed by Oregon at No. 2 with six first-place votes. Georgia comes in at No. 3 with one more first-place vote than Oregon. Last year's preseason No. 1,
the Texas Longhorns, come in at No. 4, followed by Notre Dame at No. 5.
The defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers garnered the second-most first-place votes with 14, but ranked No. 6 in the nation in the preseason poll. Just in front of the Sooners are the Miami Hurricanes at No. 7 and the Texas A&M Aggies at No. 8. Oklahoma is one spot ahead of Ole Miss, which rounds out the top 10.
In all, there are nine SEC teams included in the top 25. Alabama at No. 11, LSU and Lane Kiffin are at No. 13, the Tennessee Volunteers come in at No. 18, and Missouri rounds out the US LBM Coaches Poll at No. 25.
Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Auburn were among the top 10 teams just outside the top 25 and receiving votes.
The Oklahoma Sooners will play four teams in the top 10, six teams in the top 25, and another pair of teams among the top five receiving votes. The schedule is a difficult one to navigate, but the Sooners believe they have a team talented enough to overcome the obstacles to make the College Football Playoff again in 2026.
US LBM Preseason Coaches Poll
released Aug. 4, 2026
Others Receiving Votes
Louisville 153; Florida 147; TCU 63; Illinois 62; South Carolina 50; Arizona 50; Virginia 40; Vanderbilt 37; Auburn 29; Georgia Tech 26; Boise State 24; Oklahoma State 22; UNLV 17; North Carolina State 13; Florida State 13; Virginia Tech 12; Nebraska 12; Memphis 9; Arizona State 8; James Madison 6; Duke 6; Pittsburgh 4; New Mexico 4; Western Michigan 3; Navy 3; San Diego State 2; Kansas State 1; Jacksonville State 1; Hawaii 1; California 1;
List Of Voters
The US LBM Board of Coaches for the 2026 season: Tim Albin, Charlotte; Blake Anderson, Southern Mississippi; Dave Aranda, Baylor; David Braun, Northwestern; Jeff Brohm, Louisville; Fran Brown, Syracuse; Neal Brown, North Texas; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Jamey Chadwell, Liberty; Curt Cignetti, Indiana; Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech; Spencer Danielson, Boise State; Ryan Day, Ohio State; Kalen DeBoer, Alabama; Manny Diaz, Duke; Jake Dickert, Wake Forest; Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri; Sonny Dykes, TCU; Jason Eck, New Mexico; Mike Elko, Texas A&M; Tony Elliott, Virginia; Matt Entz, Fresno State; Jedd Fisch, Washington; James Franklin, Virginia Tech; Willie Fritz, Houston; Scott Frost, Central Florida; Tony Gibson, Marshall; Alex Golesh, Auburn; Will Hall, Tulane; Blake Harrell, East Carolina; John Hauser, Ohio; Clay Helton, Georgia Southern; Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky; Charles Huff, Memphis; Butch Jones, Arkansas State; KC Keeler, Temple; Charles Kelly, Jacksonville State; Brent Key, Georgia Tech; Zach Kittley, Florida Atlantic; Collin Klein, Kansas State; Tre Lamb, Tulsa; Rhett Lashlee, SMU; Clark Lea, Vanderbilt; Lance Leipold, Kansas; Pete Lembo, Buffalo; Sean Lewis, San Diego State; Dowell Loggains, Appalachian State; Joey McGuire, Texas Tech; Jeff Monken, Army; Kirby Moore, Washington State; Eric Morris, Oklahoma State; Dan Mullen, UNLV; Billy Napier, James Madison; Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh; Brian Newberry, Navy; Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State; Barry Odom, Purdue; Tim Polasek, North Dakota State; Tavita Pritchard, Stanford; Ricky Rahne, Old Dominion; Matt Rhule, Nebraska; Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia; Morgan Scalley, Utah; JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State; Kirby Smart, Georgia; Will Stein, Kentucky; Jon Sumrall, Florida; Lance Taylor, Western Michigan; Jeff Traylor, Texas-San Antonio; Scotty Walden, Texas-El Paso; Kyle Whittingham, Michigan; Casey Woods, Missouri State.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners inside top 10 of preseason US LBM Coaches Poll
