Sooners end regular season No. 1 in AP poll
Published 12:00 am Monday, November 24, 2003
Oklahoma finished its regular season where it started: No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll.
The Sooners (12-0) remained the unanimous pick for the top spot in the rankings following a 56-25 victory over Texas Tech. Oklahoma received all 65 first-place votes in balloting by the panel of sports writers and broadcasters Sunday.
The Sooners have been No. 1 every week since the preseason. With wins against Kansas State in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 6 and in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4, Oklahoma will join Florida State's 1999 team as the only schools to go wire-to-wire since the advent of the preseason poll in 1950.
Southern California remained second this week, followed by LSU, Michigan and Georgia. The Wolverines moved up a spot after beating then-No. 4 Ohio State 35-21 Saturday. The defending national champion Buckeyes fell to eighth.
Oklahoma received the maximum 1,625 points, beating out USC, which had 1,558.
Texas, Tennessee, Ohio State, Florida State and Miami round out the Top 10.
The USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll had the same top six teams as the AP.
Florida leads off the second 10, followed by Purdue, Iowa, Kansas State, Miami of Ohio, Washington State, Mississippi, Boise State, TCU and Pittsburgh.
No teams dropped out of the poll this week. TCU had the biggest fall, dropping from 10th to 19th following its first loss of the season, 40-28 to Southern Mississippi on Thursday night.
Virginia Tech, Bowling Green, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Nebraska round out the poll.