AP Poll College Football 2011: Oklahoma Sooners Disrespected with SEC Bias

No. 3 Oklahoma impressed everyone on Saturday with a 55-17 victory over No. 11 Texas. Everyone, that is, except the AP pollsters. Despite winning in college football's biggest game of the week, the Sooners remained behind LSU and Alabama in the AP Top 25.

It's usually expected that the top two teams in the poll would hold on to those spots so long as they don't lose. Sounds reasonable, right?

That's what Oklahoma is thinking. It started the season ranked No. 1. After a 5-0 start and wins against two highly ranked teams away from home, the Sooners have seen their stock drop and are ranked No. 3 in the latest AP poll.

LSU jumped Bob Stoops' team after the Tigers went on the road to beat West Virginia 47-21 on Sept. 24. AP voters were so impressed with the LSU victory that they moved the Tigers ahead of Oklahoma and into a No. 1 ranking.

Problem was that the Sooners hadn't lost yet. Not only had they not lost, but Oklahoma was just a week removed from an impressive victory on the road against Florida State. Apparently, a 10-point win at home over the Missouri Tigers was almost as good as a loss.

The AP wasn't done with the Sooners yet. A week later they dropped Oklahoma to No. 3 behind Alabama. The Sooners had just beaten Ball State 62-6 at home, but the Crimson Tide had apparently proven to be a better team by beating an overrated Florida team 38-10.

Voters use bad logic

The logic for those voting LSU and Alabama ahead of Oklahoma is that both have defenses that are better than Oklahoma's and are among the best college football has ever seen.

LSU and Alabama undoubtedly have great defenses. However, so does Oklahoma.

Are the Sooners as good on defense as the Tigers or Crimson Tide? No, but they aren't far behind. They proved that in Dallas against the Longhorns and previously at Florida State.

LSU (12.8) is ranked ninth in points against, while the Sooners (14.2) are not far behind at 10th. If points are what matters most, it looks like the Sooners are almost as successful on defense as the Tigers.

Voters overreact

The AP voters overreacted to that LSU win over West Virginia that everyone thinks was so impressive. On that same day the Sooners were chastised by the media and fans for giving up 532 yards in their 38-28 win over Missouri.

What was conveniently forgotten about on that day was that LSU gave up 533 yards to the Mountaineers. Sure, WVU is good offensively and ranked 11th in total offense, but Missouri is close behind at 16th.

Voters thought LSU had just gone on an amazing run by beating Oregon, Mississippi State and WVU away from home. The Bulldogs have proven that at least one of those wins might not have been too impressive.

Those same Bulldogs have now lost three games, but since they are in the SEC, it is considered to be a nice win for LSU, while OU is given less and less respect for its win over the Seminoles now that FSU has lost twice more.

Let's not forget that Mississippi State needed overtime to beat Louisiana Tech and led just 3-0 at the half against a winless UAB team.

Oklahoma is a complete team

The difference between Oklahoma and the teams ranked ahead of it is that the Sooners are really good—on both sides of the ball. In fact, Oklahoma is in the top 30 in both total offense (sixth) and total defense (28th). That's something neither SEC team can say.

Oklahoma is downright lethal on offense with receivers like Ryan Broyles and Kenny Stills. With a Heisman candidate at quarterback in Landry Jones and a receiving corps that goes four deep, the Sooners have the ability to put points on any defense.

Let's not forget walk-on RB Dominique Whaley, who has shown to be a big-play threat. A 64-yard touchdown run against a tough Texas defense on Saturday is a perfect example. Whaley left at least five blue chip recruits in his dust on that run.

If LSU was allowed to have a down game defensively against West Virginia, then Oklahoma should be forgiven for its defensive mishaps against Mizzou.

It's time the Sooners garner some respect for being the most complete team in the country. The offense is great and the defense is better than good. Future NFL talent occupies almost every position on the Oklahoma defense, especially at linebacker with Travis Lewis and Tom Wort.

The Sooners will have their chance to prove their worth on defense before the end of the season by playing teams like Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Baylor. Perhaps then the Sooners will get a little respect from the AP.