# 1970 Oklahoma Sooners football team

The 1970 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season, the 76th season of Sooner football. The team was led by head coach Chuck Fairbanks in his fourth season as the OU head coach. They played their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a member of the Big Eight Conference.
Conference play began at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado on October 17, with a win over the Colorado Buffaloes, and ended on November 28 at home in Norman with a win over Oklahoma State in the annual Bedlam Series. The Sooners lost their second conference game to Kansas State; the Wildcats' next victory in the series did not occur until 1993.
Following a loss in their third game to Oregon State, the Sooners installed the wishbone offense during the open week prior to the Red River Shootout against Texas. The Sooners ran the wishbone continuously, save for a switch to the I formation in 1982 and 1983, until the early 1990s.
After finishing the regular season with a record of 7–4 (5–2 in Big 8 play), the Sooners were invited to play in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, where they tied the Alabama Crimson Tide, 24–24.
Following the season, John Watson was selected in the seventh round of the 1971 NFL draft, and Steve Casteel was chosen in the 10th.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | at SMU* | No. T–20 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX | | W 28–11 | 51,909 |
| September 19 | Wisconsin* | No. 18 | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | | W 21–7 | 58,100 |
| September 26 | Oregon State* | No. 14 | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | | L 14–23 | 54,700 |
| October 10 | vs. No. 2 Texas* | | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Red River Shootout) | ABC | L 9–41 | 71,938 |
| October 17 | at No. 13 Colorado | | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | | W 23–15 | 47,700 |
| October 24 | Kansas State | | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | | L 14–19 | 60,800 |
| October 31 | at Iowa State | | Clyde Williams FieldAmes, IA | | W 29–28 | 26,672 |
| November 7 | Missouri | | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK (rivalry) | | W 28–13 | 54,750 |
| November 14 | at Kansas | | Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS | | W 28–24 | 36,820 |
| November 21 | at No. 3 Nebraska | | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (rivalry) | | L 21–28 | 67,392 |
| November 28 | Oklahoma State | | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK (Bedlam Series) | | W 66–6 | 60,300 |
| December 31 | vs. Alabama* | No. 24 | Houston AstrodomeHouston, TX (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl) | | T 24–24 | 53,822 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| AP | 20 т | 18 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 20 | 20 т |

## NFL draft

The following players were selected into the 1971 NFL draft following the season.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL team |
| 7 | 179 | John Watson | Tackle | San Francisco 49ers |
| 10 | 258 | Steve Casteel | Linebacker | Cleveland Browns |
| 17 | 427 | Monty Johnson | Defensive back | Green Bay Packers |