Comparing the Football Programs of OU and UT
version 4.10
February 23, 2008
 

This webpage is dedicated to the memory of Herman Mitchell.
He left us way too soon and he will never be forgotten.
 

As the day approaches for high school players to decide what college football program they will join, an annual war stirs up between OU and UT. But unlike the game in October which is decided on the field of play, this war is fought for the hearts and minds of the best young high school football players. Picking the right college is already a difficult task for many -- adding football scholarships into the mix only adds complexity. What's a high school senior to do when they're recruited by both schools? To such high school seniors I offer the following suggestions -- I hope you find them useful:

  • I've used the following rule for my life and it has served me well to this point -- I now recommend it to you: Never make any major commitment without at least giving yourself 24 hours to reflect on it. Yes, this will mean that every now and then you were miss out on an opportunity. But usually decisions can wait whether it appears like they can or not. Important decisions need to be made from the heart and not from the emotions of the moment. (Of course you can prepare for a big meeting or telephone call that you know is coming by "finding your heart" before hand.)

  • There is wisdom in a multitude of counsel. Get feedback from your parents, a trusted school teacher, a trusted football coach.

  • It's your decision, and you need to be comfortable with it. Don't let anyone bully you into going somewhere against your heart.

  • Be realistic about your chances to get immediate playing time. Very, very few true freshman see a lot of playing time at OU or UT. In high school, most highly recruited players can be in the wrong place or use the wrong technique and still get good results because of their physical superiority. It's highly unlikely that you will have physical superiority in college. Give yourself time to improve your technique and learn your school's offense or defense. I've heard that when a gifted inexperienced athlete begins to act instinctively instead of trying to assess everything as it happens, at that point they'll be able to compete at the next level -- but that takes a lot of repetitions.

  • This point should be obvious -- both UT and OU are universities. An athlete who plays for UT is playing for one of many universities in Texas, and not for the state of Texas. Likewise, an athlete who plays for OU is playing for one of many universities in Oklahoma, and not for the state of Oklahoma. The two states are not in a rivalry, it's the universities that are in a rivalry. Both schools have a tremendous fan-base (much larger than the number of alumni) spread out all across the country; OU fans live in the state of Texas and UT fans live in the state of Oklahoma. If you are not from Texas or Oklahoma, I'm sure you will be awestruck by the spectacle surrounding the weekend and the game: the multitude of fervent fans and the carnival atmosphere draw all types (especially politicians and people in the media). An opportunity to play in this game is special and should not be passed up. The rivalry starts way before the game in the work-places, offices and neighborhoods of Sooner and Longhorn fans all across the country. Many people have crossed the Red River going in both directions -- Billy Sims left Hooks Texas and won a Heisman at OU, Darrell Royal left Hollis Oklahoma and became one of UT's most successful coaches. Do not let your parent's address dictate your college football career; rather, make an informed decision of which university program suits you by listening to wise counsel and your heart.

  • In a heart-wrenching scene, one of the world's most gifted runners, Marion Jones recently admitted steroid use before the 2000 Olympics. Track and field experts have speculated that she would have probably won her 5 medals without using steriods based on her high-school performances. A few years ago, a scandal involvin g steroid use within a prominent high school team made national headlines. The easy access to steroids and the promise of a shortcut to improved strength and weight gain beckons to all athletes. We watch pro baseball players and marvel that they no longer need the split-second timing to hit a pitch perfectly to get a dinger -- a number of steroid users can muscle a hit out of the park even when they don't get "all of it". The problem is that this "shortcut" to strength and weight is really not a shortcut at all. Rather, it's a path to a different destination -- a destination where you will permanently lose some of your mental keeness. The most important organ in football is your brain. That's true for all positions at the college level -- especially offensive and defensive lineman. Mentally preparing for the play, knowing what's going on, and utilizing the correct technique are critical to success for all positions in the team sport of football. Both OU and UT have the resources to build strength and weight the correct way. College coaches know they have the resources to help players build strength and weight and their recruiting evaluations will require your best mental keeness. Do not eliminate some of your potential by taking the FALSE shortcut of steroids. If you have already used steroids, stop taking them now. There are resources to help you, click here for one such organization.

    • The rest of this posting provides a comparison of the UT and OU football programs in terms of gridiron success. There are many factors in deciding which school is best for you (e.g. is it too far from home or different from home, is it too close to home or similar to home, does my girlfriend go there, ...), but this list only considers the football programs at OU and UT. I'll save my opinion for the conclusion at the bottom, the numbered points are just a list of facts culled from the NCAA record books. The facts include overall history, as well as recent history. Also check out my blog of comments on OU & UT.

      1. Coaching

      1. OU is coached by Bob Stoops. UT is coached by Mack Brown. Stoops has received 8 Coach of the Year honors by 7 organizations, Brown has received 1. Stoops has received AFCA, FWAA, HomeDepot, BearBryant, WalterCamp (twice), BobbyDodd, and GeorgeMunger national coach of the year honors. Brown has received BearBryant coach of year honors. [through Feb-2008]
      2. Stoops has the third highest winning percentage among active Division 1A coaches with 5 or more years. Brown is not in the top 20 [through Feb-2007].
      3. Through Feb-2006, Stoops' winning percentage is .815 (97-22), Brown's is .805 at UT (103-25) and .656 overall (189-99-1). [through Feb-2008]
      4. Against teams that finish in the AP top 10, Stoops is 11-6, Brown is 5-14 [through Feb-2008].
      5. Against bowl opponents, Stoops is 4-5, Brown is 7-3 [through Feb-2008].
      6. In championship games, Stoops is 6-4, Brown is 2-2 [through Feb-2008].
      7. Big-12 Championships: Stoops 5, Brown 1. [Through Feb-2008]
      8. Both Stoops and Brown have two BCS bowl victories. [through Feb-2008].
      9. Brown had better recruiting classes than Stoops during Stoops first 3 years according to national media pundits like Max Emfinger. Since Bob Stoops became head coach at OU, OU has steadily improved their recruiting classes (again, according to the media pundits). Both schools have fielded top 10 recruiting classes for the past four years. For four of the past 5 years, OU was ranked higher than UT. Also see the "Player Development" section below. [through Feb-2008]
      10. OU has 3 coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame (Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, and Barry Switzer), UT has 2 (Darrell Royal, Dana Bible). [through Feb-2008]
      11. OU has 3 coaches that have coached their squads to a national championship (Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops). UT has two coaches that coached a national championship squad (Royal and Brown). [through Feb-2008]

        Conclusion: Coaching favors OU..

      2. Head-to-Head

      1. Overall Stats: Since their first meeting in 1900, UT leads the series at 57-40-5. [through Feb-2008]
      2. Modern Era Stats (By Decade): Most of UT's 57 victories came before 1950. In fact, UT won more games than OU in each of the five decades included in 1900s to 1940s. However, if you look at the last 5 decades, OU wins three of the last five decades: 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s. And OU leads in 2000s. [through Feb-2008]
      3. Modern Era Stats (Since 1970):
        In games since 1970 [through Feb-2008]
        source: adapted from a webpost by "The Voice of Reason"
        • OU-19 wins, UT-15 wins, and three ties.
        • The average score is: OU-25, Texas-18
        • The average score of an OU win: 35-13
        • The average score of a UT win: 26-15
        • Wins by 10 or more points: OU-13, UT-7
        • Wins by 20 or more points: OU-9, UT-3
        • Wins by 30 or more points: OU-5, UT-2
        • Wins by 40 or more points: OU-2, UT-0
        • 20 points or more scored: OU-20, UT-16
        • 30 points or more scored: OU-10, UT-5
        • 40 points or more scored: OU-6, UT-1
        • 50 points or more scored: OU-3, UT-0
        • 60 points or more scored: OU-2, UT-0
        • Games decided by fewer than 10 points: UT-8, OU-5, three ties

          So, basically, since 1970:
          OU is more likely to win a game in a blowout (nine of OU's 18 wins are by 20 or more points). UT is more likely to win a game by less than ten points (eight of UT's 15 wins).

        Conclusion: the school one favors for Head-to-Head depends upon how one treats modern era wins relative to wins from leather helmet days. Does Vanderbilt have a better team than UT? Vandy leads UT in head-to-head wins based on games played before World War II. Does Bethany College have a better team than OU? Bethany leads OU in head-to-head wins based on games played before 1910. Is Harvard one of the strongest teams in NCAA division 1 football? They are if you give equal weight to championships before Harding was president. On the other hand, one shouldn't ignore early accomplishments. Given that UT has a better record stretching back to 1900, and OU has a better record in the modern era, you can make a good case for either school. Which matters most to the prospective recruit? I'm not sure -- you decide.

      3. Program Trends

      1. OU will likely be in the top-10 when they face UT next season (the consensus of all the college football magazine preseason polls have UT ranked #??? and OU #???. When OU and UT are both in the top-10, the record is 7 wins for OU, 6 wins for UT, and 1 tie. When OU and UT are both in the top-5, the record is 4 wins for OU, 3 wins for UT, and 1 tie. OU won the last meeting both teams were in the top-5.
      2. When OU is ranked ahead of UT in the AP on game-day, OU leads the series 23-9-2. [through Feb-2008]
      3. When UT is ranked ahead of OU in the AP on game-day, UT leads the series 18-5-1. [through Feb-2008]
      4. OU has a 1 game winning streak (ending a 2 game streak by UT). [as of Feb-2007]
      5. OU has won more head-to-head games during this decade. [2000s]
      6. UT has won their last 4 bowl games.
      7. UT has won 9 games (including bowl games) in each of the past 10 years. [through Feb-2008]
      8. Both OU and UT have won 1 national championship during this decade. [2000s]
      9. OU has won 5 conference championships and UT has won 1 conference championship during this decade. [2000s]
      10. OU has appeared in more BCS Bowls during this decade (6 to 2). [2000s]
      11. OU has ended the season with a higher rank than UT more often during this decade (7 to 1). [2000s]
      12. OU has a better win-loss record during this decade (90-17-0 to 85-17-0). [2000s]

        Conclusion: Program Trends favor OU.

      4. Championships

      1. Number of National Championships: OU has more national championships: OU has 7 national championships (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000). UT has 4 (1963, 1969, 1970, 2005). [through Feb-2008]
      2. Most recent National Championship: UT has won the most recent National Championship (2005). [through Feb-2008]
      3. Conference Championships: OU has more conference championships: OU has 41 conference championships. UT has 32 conference championships. [through Feb-2008]
      4. Most recent Conference Championship: OU is the 2007 Big12 champs. [through Feb-2008]

        Conclusion: Championships favors OU.

      5. Tradition (Noteworthy Achievements)

      1. OU holds the NCAA record for longest winning streak (47 games) and has three winning streaks of 28 or more games (something unique to OU). UT's longest winning streak is 30 games. [through Feb-2008]
      2. OU has finished in the AP top-5 more times than any other school (28 times through 2007 season). UT has finished in the AP top-5 17 times.
      3. OU has spent more total weeks ranked #1 by the AP poll than UT (95 to 42). In fact, OU holds the current record for weeks ranked #1. OU also has more appearances in the top 10 (644 to 623).
      4. Dr. Robert Lemieux has developed a historical ranking of college football teams based on AP ranking (which began in 1936). By dividing each team's average positions in the postseason media and coaches polls by the percentage of times it appeared in the polls, Lemieux ranked 94 current I-A teams. OU ranks #1 among all Div-1A teams; UT was not in the top 5.
      5. OU ranks 5th and UT ranks 6th in an All-Time Team ranking developed by College Football Warehouse. [as of Feb-2008]
      6. OU has finished the season ranked in the top-20 more times: 50 to 46 [through Feb-2008].
      7. UT has more bowl appearances: 47 to 41 [through Feb-2008].
      8. UT is ranked 6th all-time and OU is ranked 7th all-time by Billingsley.
      9. UT is ranked 6th all-time and OU is ranked 23rd all time by David DeLassus
      10. OU has the #5 winning percentage for bowl games among all Div. 1 teams with 20 or more appearences: OU is .598 (24-16-1), UT is .532 (24-21-2). [through Feb-2008]
      11. OU is ranked first in winning percentage since World War II (1946 to present). UT is ranked 6th. [through Feb-2008]
      12. The NCAA lists OU in their list of "Famous Major-College Dynasties" (page 99). OU is included twice in the list of 12 dynasties; UT is not included in the list.
      13. The Information Please Almanac has developed an all-time rating system based on top-20, top-10, and national championships. OU ranks higher than UT (3 to 8).
      14. According to the QRPS ranking system of all college football programs since 1940, OU has a better football program than UT.
      15. According to ESPN, two of the top 10 college teams of all time have been Oklahoma, UT has zero.
      16. According to the QRPS ranking system of all college football programs since 1940, OU has more teams ranked as OU has more in ranked in the top 100 (OU has 14, UT has 7), and more ranked in the top 20 (OU has 3, UT has 0).
      17. UT has been to a bowl game every year but 1997 since the Big 12 formed.
      18. UT was ranked #2 most desirable place to coach college football according to a journalist for EEE Sports (see http://www.eeesports.net/TopTenschools.htm) OU was not ranked.

        Conclusion: Overall Tradition favors OU.

      6. Winning and Winning Percentage (All Opponents)

      1. UT has more total victories: 820 to 776 [through Feb-2008]. (UT also has more losses -- they played more games in the early days of college football.)
      2. OU has a longer winning streak: OU at 47 games, UT at 30 games. [through Feb-2008]
      3. OU has won more Big-12 Championships: Ou at 5, UT at 2. [through Feb-2008]
      4. OU has more undefeated and untied seasons: OU at 12, UT at 9. [through Feb-2008]
      5. UT has a better all time winning percentage: .714 to .712 [through Feb-2008]
      6. OU has a better winning percentage in Bowl games: .598 to .521 [through Feb-2008]
      7. OU has fewer losing seasons (the Sooners have the fewest losing seasons of any major college with 11).
      8. During the last five decades (1950 to 2000 inclusive) OU has a .743 winning percentage (431-145-12), and UT has a .699 winning percentage (408-173-9).
      9. OU has more bowl victories: 25 to 24 [through Feb-2008].
      10. Tie: Both UT and OU have two BCS bowl victories. [through Feb-2008].

        Conclusion: Winning and Winning Percentage (All Opponents) favors OU.

      7. Player Development

      1. Ultimately, a serious football recruit should be interested in which school he will develop best. Here is an analysis of the class of 1999 by ESPN. Here's a second analysis directly comparing OU and UT. [Thanks to Sooner94 for second analysis]
      2. Bob Stoops has coached 9 different players which have won awards. These 9 players won 16 awards with some winning multiple awards. Awards have went to various positions These awards represent Defense, Offense, Special Teams, and Overall. Mack Brown has coached 6 players which have won ten awards for Offense, Defense, and Overall awards.

        Award Winners Coached by Stoops (left) and Brown (right)
        Unitas: J.White
        Maxwell: J.White
        Outland: J.Brown
        Lombardi: T.Harris
        W.Camp: J.Heupel
        Nagurski: D.Strait
        Nagurski: R.Williams
        Butkus: R.Calmus
        Butkus: T.Lehman
        Bednarki: T.Lehman
        O'Brien: J.White (twice)
        Heisman: J.White
        Tatupu:J.T.Thatcher
        J.Thorpe: D.Strait
        J.Thorpe: R.Williams
        		 Maxwell: V.Young
        Maxwell: R.Williams
        W.Camp: R.Williams
        Nagurski: D.Johnson
        Butkus: D.Johnson
        O'Brien: V.Young
        D.Walker: R.Williams
        D.Walker: C.Benson
        Heisman: R.Williams
        Thorpe: M.Huff
        Thorpe: A.Ross
      3. UT has more first round draft picks (UT has 42, OU has 37 -- through the 2007 draft, includes #1 selections in supplemental drafts). [Source: click here for UT and click here for OU]
      4. OU has more total players drafted into the NFL (328 to 291 -- through the 2007 draft).
      5. OU has more active players in the NFL (29 to 28) [As of Dec-07-2006].
      6. OU had players included in the top 10 players of 2001 (Roy Williams), and the top 10 players of 2000 (Josh Heupel). UT had a player included in top 10 players in 1998 (Ricky Williams).
      7. OU has more Consensus All-Americans ( 66 to 47 through the 2005 season) [source: NCAA 2004 Records, pg. 225]. OU has more Unanimous All-Americans ( 31 to 20 through the 2005 season) [source: NCAA 2004 Records, pg. 225 (indicated by asterisk)].
      8. OU has more players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (18 to 12) [through Feb-2008]
      9. OU has more coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (5 to 1) [through Feb-2008]
      10. OU has more Heisman trophy (Player of the Year) winners (4 to 2) [through Feb-2008]
      11. OU had the most recent Heisman winner (2003).
      12. UT has more Maxwell (Player of the Year) award winners (3 and 2) [through Feb-2008]
      13. UT had the most recent Maxwell award winner (2005).
      14. OU has more Walter Camp (Player of the Year) award winners (4 to 1) [through Feb-2008]
      15. OU had the most recent Walter Camp winner (2000).
      16. OU has had more role-specific awards than UT (24 to 12):
        • OU has more Outland Trophy (Interior Lineman) winners (5 to 3).
        • OU had the most recent Outland winner (2004).
        • OU has more Jim Thorpe award (Defensive Back) winners (3 to 2).
        • UT had the most recent Jim Thorpe winner (2006).
        • UT has more Doak Walker (Running Back) award winers (3 to 0).
        • UT had the most recent Doak Walker winner (2004).
        • OU has more Bronko Nagurski (Defensive Player) award winers (2 to 1).
        • UT had the most recent Bronko Nagurski award winner (2004)
        • OU has more Lombardi (Lineman) award winners (3 to 2).
        • OU had the most recent Lombardi winner (2003).
        • OU has more Butkus (Linebacker) Award winners (4 to 1).
        • UT had the most recent Butkus award winner (2004).
        • OU has more Mosi Tatupu (Special Teams) award winners (1 to 0).
        • OU had the most recent Mosi Tatupu award winner (2000).
        • Tie: Both UT and OU have the same number of Davey O'Brien (Quarterback) winners (2 and 2).
        • UT had the most recent Davey O'Brien award winner (2005).
        • OU has more Johnny Unitas (Quarterback) winners (1 to 0).
        • OU had the most recent Johnny Unitas award winner (2004).
        • OU has more Chuck Bednarik (Top Defensive) award winners (1 to 0).
        • OU had the most recent Chuck Bednarik award winner (2003).

        Conclusion: Player Development favors OU.

    CONCLUSION

      UT has a good football program, but the facts show that OU has a better program. Nevertheless, it seems that hope springs eternal in the Longhorn heart and that their fans are always looking through rose colored (burnt-orange colored?) glasses. It's interesting to note that over the last 19 years, UT's pre-season rank has been over-rated 12 times, and ten of those pre-season over rankings were off by 5 or more. Maybe if someone hears enough hype about UT they begin to believe the hype. It's interesting to read the response from UT fans when they're confronted with the above facts -- click here for a list of comments and acknowledgements from both OU and UT fans (last updated Jan-30-2007). Regardless of the hype and spin coming from Austin, OU's football program is clearly superior to UT's football program when one looks at the facts.

      Perhaps there is some insight in the school colors of the two universities. OU's colors are crimson and cream, and UT's color is burnt orange. Crimson and cream are the colors of blood and guts, of bone and marrow -- they represent commitment and a depth of conviction. This is in keeping with the attitudes expressed by OU's head coach Bob Stoops: no nonsense, no excuses, win by better preparation and more heart. Burnt orange is the color of the setting sun as seen through a thick haze -- it represents a time when the once bright sun has subsided over the horizon, a time when even the sun is reduced to modest heat and brightness. This is in keeping with the squandered talent and the attitudes expressed by UT's head coach Mack Brown: UT doesn't really lose games, they just "run out of time" like the last few minutes of daylight at sunset.

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    For further information about this page, contact:
    trj@cs.stanford.edu -- Terry Jones

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    Copyright © 2008 by Terry Jones.

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