Most prestigious...

While I feel it is way too early to begin discussing the 2009-2010 college football season, there are a few things that happened this week that I think are noteworthy. One there is a new article out that I can’t resist talking about it. On Friday, January 23rd ESPN released their rankings of the most prestigious college football programs since 1935 and the University of Oklahoma came in at number 1!!!! All of the haters are rolling their eyes right now, but it was actually an incredibly interesting process and covered a wide range of topics from bowl wins, to points scored, it even took into consideration NCAA sanctions placed on the school for violations involving their program.

Here are three links, detailing the process, commentary, and the rankings themselves:

1) Prestige Rankings -
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3849468


2) Explaining the Process -
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3836130


3) Ivan Maisel: Times change, but OU stays on top (ranking commentary) -
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3852829


If interested you can read through the articles and find your favorite school on the links within the above articles.

Oklahoma Sooners

(from the ESPN article) Total points: 1,968

Positives: When you look at the big picture of college football since 1936, no program has achieved greatness as consistently as Oklahoma. We didn't even count the fact that Oklahoma owns the longest win streak in FBS history (47) or leads the nation with a .765 winning percentage since World War II. The 1956 Oklahoma team catapulted the Sooners past Notre Dame to the top of the Prestige Rankings, and it's been in the top spot ever since. OU's seven national titles have spanned four decades. The Sooners have finished in the final poll's top 5 an astounding 29 times. But the real fuel for OU's rise to the top of our rankings has been its conference dominance. The Sooners finished the regular season with at least a share of their conference's best record a stunning 39 times, seven more than any other program in the country.Negatives: Oklahoma was downright mediocre in the '90s. The Sooners ranked 51st in that decade's rankings, directly behind Hawaii. OU also didn't have a single major bowl win and suffered through three losing seasons. The Oklahoma program also has been punished by the NCAA to varying degrees six separate times in its history. Through the decades: Through 1958: 1st 1968: 1st 1978: 1st 1988: 1st 1998: 1stDid you know? Oklahoma has been voted the No. 1 team in the country by the AP a record 97 times, including twice this past season to break a tie with Notre Dame.

The second event that took place this week was that the OU athletic department released OU’s official 2009 schedule and once again OU has chosen to take on out of conference teams with strong rivalries. The non-conference foes include an away game versus Miami, plus the Sooners will be christening the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington versus BYU, which in seasons past have argued that they deserved a shot in a BCS bowl. It should be a fun season and it is easily argued that the Sooners only pass Texas on the road to the BCS National Championship game because OU played teams that faired well in their respective conferences and one that reached a BCS bowl themselves, so it looks like the athletic department is getting it right by challenging themselves early in the season.

I can’t wait for college football and it has only been a few weeks…and in better news, basketball season is going really well so far…

"We compete, not so much against an opponent, but against ourselves. The real test is this: Did I make my best effort on every play?" - Bud Wilkinson, OU Legend and former coach