AP All-Time Top Ten: Why They Are Correct, And Guess Who Is No. 1

"2  OKLAHOMA (1,055 Points) Total appearances:784, 71.08% of all polls First appearance:1938 No.1 ranking:100 1/2 Championships:Seven (last 2000) Best full decade:1950s appeared in 94.83% of polls. Worst full decade:1960s appeared in 28.57% of polls. Poll point:Oklahoma has been top-five in percentage of poll appearances in five decades (1950s, ’70s, ’80s, 2000, ’10), most of any program."

Oklahoma has had dominant teams throughout the years and had tremendously successful coaches as well. They may have been No. 1 if not for a slide from the early 1980s until current head coach Bob Stoops took over in 1999. In 1947 Bud Wilkinson became the head coach of the Sooners and things took off from there. He led Oklahoma to a 31 game winning streak and a National Championship in 1949. Then from the 1952-57 seasons, his teams won 47 consecutive games, a record that stands to this day.

After coach Wilkinson retired in 1963, it took some time to get the Sooners back on track. However, Chuck Knox had Oklahoma ranked as high as No. 2 in 1971,  and departed for the NFL in 1972.

Then coach Barry Switzer took over, and with his high powered wishbone offense, won over 90 percent of his games during the 70s and a National championship.

Sanctions by the NCAA eventually was the end of Switzer’s tenure in 1988 but the team was in decline before that. Bob Stoops won a National championship in his second season as head coach, and has been successful ever since.

Next: Ohio State