The University of Oklahoma (often known as "Oklahoma" or "OU") is represented by the Oklahoma Sooners football team in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level in the Big 12 Conference. Having started in 1895, the program has been one of the most successful in history, winning 944 games and ranking sixth all-time in winning percentage (.725).
Oklahoma has had 897 appearances in the AP poll, with 101 of them appearing at No. 1, which is third all-time. In addition to a record-tying seven Heisman Trophy winners, the school has seven national championships, fifty conference titles, and 167 first-team All-Americans (82 consensus, 35 unanimous).
The university has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame 29 times by former players and coaches, and with 47 straight wins, it owns the record for the longest winning run in Division I history. Additionally, only Oklahoma has four coaches with a combined record of more than 100 victories.
The University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas sent a joint letter of intent to the Big 12 Conference on July 26, 2021, expressing interest in joining the Southeastern Conference (SEC) but also stating that they do not plan to extend their media rights contracts with the conference, which are scheduled to expire after the 2024 season.
The Big 12 revealed in February 2023 that the schools had agreed to pay an early termination fee totaling $100 million to depart for the SEC in 2024—a year earlier than planned and before the media rights agreements expired.
How many National Championships has Oklahoma won?
According to the main college football polls, Oklahoma has won seven unanimous national championships. Moreover, aside from those seven championship seasons, Oklahoma has topped rankings made by selectors classified by the NCAA as "major," mainly based on math rating methods.
Coach Bud Wilkinson led Oklahoma to a 10-1 record in 1950, but they were defeated in the Sugar Bowl. In 1955, they went 11-0 and won the Orange Bowl against Maryland. They went 10-0 in 1956. Barry Switzer led them to an 11-0 record in 1974. They finished 11-1 in 1975, winning the Orange Bowl against Michigan.
Oklahoma finished 11-1 in 1985, winning the Orange Bowl against Penn State. Coach Bob Stoops led them to a perfect 13-0 record in 2000, winning the Orange Bowl (BCS National Championship Game) against Florida State.
When was the last time Oklahoma won the National Championships?
The last time the Oklahoma Sooners won a National Championship was in 2000. Bob Stoops led the Sooners back to the heights of championship glory in his second season as coach. The Sooners have been competitive ever since, even though they haven't won a national championship to brag about.
The Sooners would take it any way they could, even though Oklahoma's 13-2 victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl wasn't the most visually appealing national championship game fans have ever seen.
Oklahoma National Championships wins years
| Season | Coach | Selector(s) | Record | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
| 1950 | Bud Wilkinson | AP, Berryman, Helms, Litkenhous, UPI Coaches, Williamson | 10–1 | Sugar Bowl | Kentucky | L 7–13 |
| 1955 | AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, FW, Helms, INS, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI coaches, Williamson | 11–0 | Orange Bowl | Maryland | W 20–6 | |
| 1956 | AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, FW, Helms, INS, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin, UPI coaches, Williamson | 10–0 | ||||
| 1974 | Barry Switzer | AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, FB News, Football Research, Helms*, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation*, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) | 11–0 | |||
| 1975 | AP, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FACT*, FB News, Football Research, FW, Helms*, National Championship Foundation*, NFF, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI Coaches | 11–1 | Orange Bowl | Michigan | W 14–6 | |
| 1985 | AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, FB News, Football Research, FW, National Championship Foundation, NFF, NY Times, Sagarin*, Sporting News, UPI, USA/CNN coaches | 11–1 | Orange Bowl | Penn State | W 25–10 | |
| 2000 | Bob Stoops | AP, Berryman, BCS, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Eck, FACT, FB News, FW, Massey, Matthews, National Championship Foundation, NFF, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), Seattle Times, Sporting News, USA/ESPN | 13–0 | Orange Bowl (BCS National Championship Game) | Florida State | W 13–2 |
Oklahoma Unclaimed Wins
| Year | Coach | Selector(s) | Rec. | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
| 1915 | Bennie Owen | Billingsley MOV | 10–0 | |||
| 1949 | Bud Wilkinson | Football Research | 11–0 | Sugar Bowl | LSU | W 35–0 |
| 1953 | Berryman, Football Research | 9–1–1 | Orange Bowl | Maryland | W 7–0 | |
| 1957 | Berryman | 10–1 | Orange Bowl | Duke | W 48–21 | |
| 1967 | Chuck Fairbanks | Poling | 10–1 | Orange Bowl | Tennessee | W 26–24 |
| 1973 | Barry Switzer | DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Sagarin | 10–0–1 | |||
| 1978 | DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, Helms, Litkenhous, Matthews, Poling, Rothman, Sagarin | 11–1 | Orange Bowl | Nebraska | W 31–24 | |
| 1980 | Dunkel, Matthews | 10–2 | Orange Bowl | Florida State | W 18–17 | |
| 1986 | Berryman, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, NY Times, Sagarin | 11–1 | Orange Bowl | Arkansas | W 42–8 | |
| 2003 | Bob Stoops | Berryman | 12–2 | BCS Nat'l Championship Game | LSU | L 14–21 |
Oklahoma Conference Titles Wins
| # | Season | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1 | 1915 | Southwest | Bennie Owen | 10–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | 1918 | Southwest | Bennie Owen | 6–0 | 2–0 |
| 3 | 1920 | MVIAA | Bennie Owen | 6–0–1 | 4–0–1 |
| 4 | 1938 | Big 6 | Bennie Owen | 10–1 | 5–0 |
| 5 | 1943 | Big 6 | Bennie Owen | 7–2 | 5–0 |
| 6 | 1944 | Big 6 | Bennie Owen | 6–3–1 | 4–0–1 |
| 7 | 1946 | Big 6 | Jim Tatum | 8–3 | 4–1 |
| 8 | 1947 | Big 6 | Bud Wilkinson | 7–2–1 | 4–0–1 |
| 9 | 1948 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 10–1 | 5–0 |
| 10 | 1949 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 11–0 | 5–0 |
| 11 | 1950 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 10–1 | 6–0 |
| 12 | 1951 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 8–2 | 6–0 |
| 13 | 1952 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 8–1–1 | 5–0 |
| 14 | 1953 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 9–1–1 | 6–0 |
| 15 | 1954 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 10–0 | 6–0 |
| 16 | 1955 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 11–0 | 6–0 |
| 17 | 1956 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 10–0 | 6–0 |
| 18 | 1957 | Big 7 | Bud Wilkinson | 10–1 | 6–0 |
| 19 | 1958 | Big 8 | Bud Wilkinson | 10–1 | 6–0 |
| 20 | 1959 | Big 8 | Bud Wilkinson | 7–3 | 5–1 |
| 21 | 1962 | Big 8 | Bud Wilkinson | 8–3 | 7–0 |
| 22 | 1967 | Big 8 | Chuck Fairbanks | 10–1 | 7–0 |
| 23 | 1968 | Big 8 | Chuck Fairbanks | 7–4 | 6–1 |
| 24 | 1972 | Big 8 | Chuck Fairbanks | 11–1 | 6–1 |
| 25 | 1973 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 10–0–1 | 7–0 |
| 26 | 1974 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 11–0 | 7–0 |
| 27 | 1975 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 11–1 | 6–1 |
| 28 | 1976 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 9–2–1 | 6–1 |
| 29 | 1977 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 10–2 | 7–0 |
| 30 | 1978 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 11–1 | 6–0 |
| 31 | 1979 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 11–1 | 7–0 |
| 32 | 1980 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 10–2 | 7–0 |
| 33 | 1984 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 9–2–1 | 6–1 |
| 34 | 1985 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 11–1 | 7–0 |
| 35 | 1986 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 11–1 | 7–0 |
| 36 | 1987 | Big 8 | Barry Switzer | 11–1 | 7–0 |
| 37 | 2000 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 13–0 | 8–0 |
| 38 | 2002 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 12–2 | 6–2 |
| 39 | 2004 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 12–1 | 8–0 |
| 40 | 2006 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 11–3 | 7–1 |
| 41 | 2007 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 11–3 | 6–2 |
| 42 | 2008 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 12–2 | 7–1 |
| 43 | 2010 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 12–2 | 6–2 |
| 44 | 2012 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 10–3 | 8–1 |
| 45 | 2015 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 11–2 | 8–1 |
| 46 | 2016 | Big 12 | Bob Stoops | 11–2 | 9–0 |
| 47 | 2017 | Big 12 | Lincoln Riley | 12–2 | 8–1 |
| 48 | 2018 | Big 12 | Lincoln Riley | 12–2 | 8–1 |
| 49 | 2019 | Big 12 | Lincoln Riley | 12–2 | 8–1 |
| 50 | 2020 | Big 12 | Lincoln Riley | 9–2 | 6–2 |
Oklahoma Division titles Wins
| Season | Division | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record | Opponent | CG result |
| 2000 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 13–0 | 8–0 | Kansas State | W 27–24 |
| 2002 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 12–2 | 6–2 | Colorado | W 29–7 |
| 2003 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 12–2 | 8–0 | Kansas State | L 7–35 |
| 2004 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 12–1 | 8–0 | Colorado | W 42–3 |
| 2006 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 11–3 | 7–1 | Nebraska | W 21–7 |
| 2007 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 11–3 | 6–2 | Missouri | W 38–17 |
| 2008 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 12–2 | 7–1 | Missouri | W 62–21 |
| 2010 | Big 12 South | Bob Stoops | 12–2 | 6–2 | Nebraska | W 23–20 |
FAQs
A. Oklahoma has won seven unanimous national championships in college football.
A. Coach Bud Wilkinson led Oklahoma to an 11-0 record in 1955.
A. Coach Bob Stoops led Oklahoma to a perfect 13-0 record in 2000.
A. Oklahoma has had 897 appearances in the AP poll, and they appeared at No. 1 in the poll 101 times.
A. Oklahoma and Texas expressed interest in joining the SEC in July 2021, paying a $100 million early termination fee in 2023.
