American college football season
The 1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season . They played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and competed as members of the Big Eight Conference . They were coached by head coach Barry Switzer . The Sooners defeated the Houston Cougars 40–14 to win the 1981 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas .
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 12 Wyoming * No. 3 W 37–2075,920 September 26 4:00 p.m. at No. 1 USC * No. 2 ABC L 24–2885,651 October 3 No. 20 Iowa State No. 5 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK T 7–776,385 October 10 11:30 a.m. vs. No. 3 Texas * No. 10 ABC L 14–3475,587 October 17 Kansas Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK W 45–775,644 October 24 Oregon State * Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK W 42–375,658 October 31 Colorado No. 19 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK W 49–075,638 November 7 at Kansas State No. 17 W 28–2133,200 November 14 at Missouri No. 15 L 14–1967,364 November 21 No. 5 Nebraska Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry ) ESPN L 14–3775,833 November 28 at Oklahoma State KTUL W 27–351,100 December 26 12:00 p.m. vs. Houston * CBS W 40–1433,816 *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time
[ 1]
1981 Oklahoma Sooners football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster
Fred Sims scored three short-yardage touchdowns to lead Oklahoma to a 27–3 win over their instate rivals in a steady drizzle. Sims, who carried 23 times for 66 yards, scored on runs of two and five yards in the second quarter and a one-yard run in the third.[ 2]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Final AP 2 (7) 3 3 (12) 2 (15) 5 10 — — 19 17 15 — — — 20 Coaches Poll 2 (3) 2 (3) 3 (14) 2 (10) 6 12 20 17 13 13 11 — — — 14
The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.[ 3]
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold