The 120th edition of the Red River Showdown has a chance to be another classic matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns. Texas holds the all-time series lead at 63-51-5. However, OU has dominated the matchup since the turn of the century at 17-8, including Big 12 title games.
The Longhorns come in as the No. 1 team in the nation in both major polls and look like a team headed to the College Football Playoff.
The Oklahoma Sooners are a team with something to prove. They’re 4-1 and picked up a solid win over Auburn on the road in Michael Hawkins Jr.’s first collegiate start.
Can the Sooners make it two in a row and knock off the No. 1 team in the nation? Here are this week’s Sooners Wire staff predictions.
Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
Last week, the sport of college football showed us that anything is possible.
The Red River Rivalry shows us nearly every season that the unexpected can and will happen. This matchup is almost always decided by one score, and I think that will be the case again this year.
Oklahoma’s defense will have to play a whale of a game for the Sooners to pull off the upset. Brent Venables and his staff have worked tirelessly to build a defense that can stand firm against anyone, and we’ll see where there is still work to be done on Saturday. It wouldn’t surprise me if the defense has to score again for OU to win the ballgame.
The Sooners will need to take care of the football, play field position, and capitalize on big-play opportunities. We’re probably asking too much of Michael Hawkins Jr. behind a shaky offensive line and without his best offensive players once again.
But that’s the life of being OU’s starting quarterback. I think Hawkins has what it takes and wins this game, becoming a legend in Norman in the process. Venables gets another huge win under his belt, and the Sooners take down No. 1.
Oklahoma 28, Texas 21
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