Voter error: One pollster thought the Sooners lost
Published: 11/20/2006 10:48 AM
Last Modified: 11/20/2006 10:48 AM
Turns out Oklahoma would have moved up two spots instead of one in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll if not for a mistake made by one voter.
Jim Kleinpeter, a writer at the New Orleans Times Picayune, admitted Tuesday he sent in his ballot Sunday morning thinking the Sooners had lost to Texas Tech on Saturday night. He had OU ranked 15th last week but dropped the Sooners to 24th this week despite their 34-24 win over Texas Tech.
OU is 16th in the poll this week, five points behind Auburn, which Kleinpeter voted at No. 8 after the Tigers had lost at home to unranked Georgia 37-15.
"I was in the press box after the LSU game that night and I remember . . . asking somebody, 'Did Oklahoma get beat?' and somebody said 'Yes.' When I woke up the next morning, I rushed through my stuff and when I looked in the paper, I didn't see the score. It was still in my head that they lost.
"It was an honest mistake. I'm going correct it next week."
Kleinpeter assured there was no bias against OU. He said he voted for Adrian Peterson to win the 2004 Heisman Trophy and said he was sure Peterson would win it this year before Peterson's injury on Oct. 14.
-- John E. Hoover

Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer