Whenever the expectations are high the amount that you have to lose is great as well. As expected the Oklahoma Sooners debuted at #3 in the first edition of the 2016 Coaches Poll. Defending national champions Alabama earned the top spot in the poll with runners up Clemson second.
Joining Oklahoma in the first Top 25 poll of the season are TCU (#14), Oklahoma State (#19), and Baylor (#21).
Coaches Poll
| RK | TEAM | REC | PTS | TREND |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alabama(55) |
0-0 | 1585 | — |
| 2 |  Clemson(7) |
0-0 | 1524 | — |
| 3 |  Oklahoma |
0-0 | 1398 | — |
| 4 |  Florida State(1) |
0-0 | 1351 | — |
| 5 |  Ohio State |
0-0 | 1321 | — |
| 6 |  LSU |
0-0 | 1241 | — |
| 7 |  Stanford |
0-0 | 1149 | — |
| 8 |  Michigan |
0-0 | 1062 | — |
| 9 |  Notre Dame |
0-0 | 1034 | — |
| 10 |  Tennessee |
0-0 | 960 | — |
| 11 |  Michigan State |
0-0 | 901 | — |
| 12 |  Ole Miss |
0-0 | 792 | — |
| 13 |  Houston |
0-0 | 668 | — |
| 14 |  TCU |
0-0 | 649 | — |
| 15 |  Iowa |
0-0 | 579 | — |
| 16 |  Georgia |
0-0 | 525 | — |
| 17 |  USC |
0-0 | 468 | — |
| 18 |  Washington |
0-0 | 454 | — |
| 19 |  Oklahoma State |
0-0 | 426 | — |
| 20 |  North Carolina |
0-0 | 422 | — |
| 21 |  Baylor |
0-0 | 383 | — |
| 22 |  Oregon |
0-0 | 361 | — |
| 23 |  Louisville |
0-0 | 331 | — |
| 24 |  UCLA |
0-0 | 296 | — |
| 25 |  Florida |
0-0 | 245 | — |