The University of Oklahoma features 17 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to individuals who participated in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement by entering early and hiding out until the legal time of entry in order to lay quick (and, by definition, illegal) claim to some of the most choice homesteads. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A, in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. The University's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione.

In 2002, Oklahoma was ranked as the 3 rd best college sports program in America by Sports Illustrated.

The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma (variously "Oklahoma" or "OU"). The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The program began in 1895 and is the most successful program of the modern era (post World War II) with 524 wins and a winning percentage of .761 since 1945. The program has seven national championships, 41 conference championships, 144 All-Americans, and four Heisman Trophy winners. In addition, the school has had five coaches and 17 players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I-FBS history with 47 straight victories. The team is currently coached by Bob Stoops and home games are played at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.