OU Ranked No. 3 in Coaches Poll

The USA Today has released the Amway Coaches Poll, and the Sooners are near the top. Here are the rankings:

1. Alabama (55)

2. Clemson (7)

3. Oklahoma

4. Florida State (1)

5. Ohio State

6. LSU

7. Stanford

8. Michigan

9. Notre Dame

10. Tennessee (1)

11. Michigan State

12. Ole Miss

13. Houston

14. TCU

15. Iowa

16. Georgia

17. USC

18. Washington

19. Oklahoma State

20. North Carolina

21. Baylor

22. Oregon

23. Louisville

24. UCLA

25. Florida

A few initial observations:

• OU is about where it should be -The Sooners have no business being ranked ahead of Bama of Clemson, but none of the teams ranked below OU deserve to be ranked ahead.
• Tennessee getting a first-place vote is preposterous - But at the same time, I think they should be ranked better than 10th. I think they have the ability to beat any team on any given day this season.
• OU’s schedule is pretty stout - Five of the 25 teams are on OU’s schedule, including three of the top 15. Luckily, four of those games are at home or neutral, and TCU’s home field advantage isn’t enormous. Texas could also creep into the top 25 by the end of the year, and we all know about the issues faced at the Cotton Bowl as of late.