Oklahoma football: 5 best seasons in Sooners history, ranked
1. 1974 Oklahoma football season
Final Record: 11-0 | Finish: National Champions (def. Oklahoma State in final game, 44-13)
Remember when I said that the 1975 Oklahoma football team was coming into that season as the defending champs? Well they were also following up the greatest act in Sooners history as there has never been a team in Norman as impressive as the group Barry Switzer put forth in his second season as the head coach at the program.
No matter how you slice it, the Sooners were littered with stars on both of sides of the ball and routinely executed their gameplan to perfection. Steve Davis, Joe Washington, Jim Littrell and Grant Burget, among others, combined for a relentless rushing attack that couldn’t be stopped. And with Lee Roy Selmon and friends creating a stonewalling defense, anyone that the Sooners faced rarely stood a chance.
The Red River Rivalry was, frankly, the only time that Oklahoma was ever close to suffering a loss. They needed some fourth-quarter heroics and defensive stands to secure that win over the Longhorns but still got the job done, 16-13. Outside of that game, no other opponent came within 14 points of the Sooners, including a matchup with the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the penultimate game of the season. The Sooners ended the season with a 44-13 rivalry win over Oklahoma State.
Because Oklahoma was on probation for NCAA violations, they couldn’t appear on television or in a bowl game for the 1974 season. However, when Notre Dame was able to beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, the Sooners were left as the lone undefeated team in college football, leading to them being crowned champs — the last team to earn that honor while not playing in a bowl game. And it stands as a testament to how great this team was that they could win a title despite the long odds they faced by not playing in a bowl game.
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