Tag: Red River

Where does 247Sports expect the Sooners to finish in 2024?

Where will the Oklahoma Sooners finish in the SEC standings, according to 247Sports?

The Oklahoma Sooners have been predicted to finish ninth in the Southeastern Conference by Brad Crawford of 247Sports.

Crawford predicted final records and finishing order for all 16 teams in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] for 247Sports. He picked OU to finish 8-4, landing in ninth place in the conference.

Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC could start in impressive fashion if the Sooners handle Tennessee at home, then topple Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium to conclude a perfect opening month. The pressure of being unbeaten and ranked inside the top 10 could wear on Oklahoma thereafter, beginning with [autotag]Red River[/autotag] and then going through the SEC gauntlet late against a bevy of national championship contenders. By the time the dust settles on the 2024 season, Oklahoma will be out of the SEC title race, but should be in for a respectable finish inside the top 25. – Crawford, 247Sports

At first glance, a ninth-place finish in the SEC seems like a slight toward the program in Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. But digging deeper into the prediction, Crawford has the Sooners losing to Texas, Missouri, Alabama and LSU to finish 4-4 in league play and 8-4 overall. For context, that’s a game behind Mizzou in eighth and the same record as Auburn in 10th. Crawford’s predictions come with wins over Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina and Ole Miss. The new SEC is so loaded that Crawford believes the ninth-best team in the league will still finish respectably in the top 25.

An 8-1 start with an 0-3 finish would certainly not please Sooner fans, but 8-4 in the SEC is a lot different than 8-4 in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. The schedule Oklahoma will face this year is the toughest the program has seen in some time. Every week in conference play will be against a team with better, equal or slightly less talent than the Sooners.

Crawford has the Texas Longhorns finishing first in the conference at 11-1 and heading to the SEC title game.

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Top 10 player and top 3 offensive tackle in 2025 sets official visit to Oklahoma

Oklahoma received some big news about one of the most prized offensive linemen in the 2025 class.

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to lay the groundwork for several of the nation’s top prospects along the offensive line. While I’m a big believer in last year’s offensive line class, closing on some of these high-profile recruits in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] would be huge.

2024’s offensive line class has a lot of potential but it doesn’t have the star power 2025 could have.

Like the 2023 class along defensive lineman, there weren’t many high-profile guys in Oklahoma’s normal recruiting area along the offensive line in 2024. That’s why 2024 was massive for the Sooners on the defensive line. Equally, that will be the case in 2025 with the offensive line.

That’s why it was good news to find out the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 offensive tackle, [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag], has set his official visit to Norman. He will be coming in on June 14-16.

This won’t be his first time in Norman as he’s made several trips over the last year. This feels like it’s coming down to a [autotag]Red River[/autotag] battle for the five-star prospect. The Texas Longhorns currently lead according to On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. But some believe Oklahoma is the leader for his services.

Still, that month will tell us a lot about where his head is as the following week he will be in Austin. So, if the Sooners can knock that visit out of the park, maybe they can get Fasusi to cancel that trip and earn his commitment.

Until then, we wait.

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Texas AD Chris Del Conte speaks on the future of Texas-OU rivalry

The Red River Showdown is not leaving the Cotton Bowl anytime soon.

The Red River “Rivalry,” “Showdown,” “Shootout,” or whatever you want to call it is one of the most iconic matchups in college football. Continue reading “Texas AD Chris Del Conte speaks on the future of Texas-OU rivalry”

Red River Showdown one of College Sports Wire’s best rivalries

College Sports Wire includes the Red River Showdown as a top-five rivalry in collegiate athletics.

One doesn’t truly understand how special the annual Red River Showdown is until they’ve been there to see it for themselves. The setting of the Texas State Fair, combined with the imposing Cotton Bowl, is one of the iconic sights in college football.

Of course, the OU-Texas football rivalry is regarded as one of the best in the country, and these rankings from College Sports Wire are consistent with that. OU-Texas came in at No. 4 on the list.

In the states of Oklahoma and Texas, there is no bigger matchup than the Red River Rivalry. The winner gets the Golden Hat Trophy and bragging rights for a full year until the Texas State Fair returns once again. The fact that the fanbases split the Cotton Bowl at the 50-yard line is a sight to see.

In recent years it has been Oklahoma that has dominated the series but Texas still holds the overall edge. In 2022, we saw pure domination as the Longhorns blanked the Sooners 49-0. The return matchup in 2023 will be full of passion and the path of retribution for Oklahoma, or at least, they hope so.- Patrick Conn, College Sports Wire

OU fans won’t really be over that dreadful 49-0 loss until they see their Sooners rocking the golden cowboy hat once more. Hopefully, when Oklahoma and Texas meet in 2023, the Sooners will have a healthy QB that can throw the ball.

The rivalries that came ahead of Red River are pretty obvious ones, though there might be a case to bump the Iron Bowl down a spot. When the Sooners and Longhorns move to the SEC, the Big 12 will have to figure out what they’re going to do to replace this iconic rivalry.

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Oklahoma Sooners come up short falls short in battle with Texas Longhorns

In the last game of 2022, Oklahoma lost 70-69 at home to the No. 6 Texas Longhorns.

On the last afternoon of 2022, the Oklahoma Sooners in a tightly contested game against the No. 6 ranked Texas Longhorns 70-69. It came down to the final moments, but ultimately, the Longhorns got more stops when it mattered most and iced the game on the free throw line.

Grant Sherfield led the way for the Sooners with 22 points on 9 of 19 shooting. His 16 first-half points paced the Sooners early. The Longhorns made adjustments in their off-ball help defense and did all they could to quiet Sherfield in the second half.

Oklahoma trailed much of the first half but kept the game close. A 12-1 run by Oklahoma leading into the under-four-minute TV timeout was the driving force to a 35-31 Sooners lead at halftime.

Texas guards began to assert their will in the second half. Marcus Carr had nine of his thirteen points in the second half. Texas forward Timmy Allen also scored 13 for the Longhorns. 

In the second half, with so much of the Texas defense keyed in on Sherfield, other Sooners stepped up to keep them in the game. Jacob Groves had three of his five three-pointers in the second half. He finished with 17 points. Forward Jalen Hill chipped in 14 points and six rebounds.

Texas stymied Oklahoma’s offensive fluidity by taking Sherfield out of the game and cutting off driving lanes. That proved to be the difference in the one-point loss for the Sooners.

These rivals will meet again in February. Oklahoma falls to 9-4 on the season and will look to bounce back after the start of the new year with a home game against a gritty Iowa State squad on Wednesday, January 4 at the Lloyd Noble Center.

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Oklahoma is still Texas’ most important game in 2022

Oklahoma is 16-7 against Texas since 2000.

Red River is still the most important game on the schedule for Texas this season. Winning it for the first time should be Steve Sarkisian’s primary objective this year. Continue reading “Oklahoma is still Texas’ most important game in 2022”

Four biggest questions for Texas football following the loss to Oklahoma

Several questions loom over the Longhorns after the loss.

Texas was seemingly back with authority against Oklahoma on Saturday, at least until the second half started.

After getting off to a scorching hot start that had the college football world in the palms of their hands, the Longhorns did what they do best when they experience success, and that is to simply face plant.

It was far too Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Falcons-esque as the Texas fumbled a 28-7 lead over Oklahoma.

The offensive line, again, was a major issue during the game as quarterback Casey Thompson was under constant pressure, and if it were not for running back Bijan Robinson being as elusive as he is, he also would have had a poor game.

The defense, who played well enough to likely end the Spencer Rattler era in Norman, were absolutely exposed by freshman sensation Caleb Williams.

The frustration is understandable as the team underperformed and resembled the teams coached by Tom Herman. There were multiple decisions made by the new coaching staff that heavily contributed to the loss. Steve Sarkisian has not made many decisions where I have questioned him as much as I did while watching the Red River Shootout.

Here are my four biggest questions stemming from Texas’ loss against Oklahoma.

Everything Steve Sarkisian said to the media before Saturday’s Red River Shootout

All that is left to do now is wake up Saturday morning and prepare for the 11 a.m. kickoff.

The clock is ticking toward Texas’ biggest game of the season. One final day of practice was in store for Steve Sarkisian’s squad before heading up to Austin for the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma.

Sarkisian spoke to the media on Thursday, giving final updates. Most importantly, he said they are “all good” from an injury standpoint, meaning everybody is going to be available.

He talked about Oklahoma’s defense and how their front seven is going to get pressure at the Cotton Bowl. Also on how Spencer Rattler’s performances are gradually growing better and better.

From Texas’ perspective, Sarkisian said Tuesday’s practice was “arguably” one of the best all year. Getting ready physically and emotionally for such a big game like Oklahoma has been the goal all week.

All that is left to do now is wake up Saturday morning and prepare for the 11 a.m. kickoff.

Check out everything Sarkisian told the media Thursday afternoon on the next page

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ESPN College Gameday heading to Dallas for Texas-Oklahoma

College Gameday is heading to the Cotton Bowl!

Yeah, they’re coming, to your city. Well, kind of.

ESPN announced College Gameday will be heading to Dallas for this season’s Red River Shootout. Texas (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) will be facing off against Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 Big 12). According to the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches poll, it will once again be a ranked matchup — the fourth in four years.

Also under consideration could have been the top-five matchup between Iowa and Penn State. However, with Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff heading to Iowa City and broadcasting the game, ESPN decided to promote a game on their own network.

College Gameday last showed up to Red River in 2018 where Cameron Dicker famously hit a game-winning field goal. 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, and 2011 matchups also saw the crew roll into the State Fair.

Steve Sarkisian vs Lincoln Riley will face off against each other for the first time and it should be a sight to see. Both have top 15 scoring offenses five games into the season.

Taking control of the Big 12 is at stake as well. Whoever is able to win on Saturday will have a leg up toward making the conference’s championship game in December. Even if a win is achieved in Dallas, both know the other could end up in Arlington.

As it should be, Texas-Oklahoma will kick off at 11 a.m. this Saturday on ABC.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Five Texas-Oklahoma questions with SoonersWire

For this week’s behind the enemy lines, we asked our friends at SoonersWire to answer five questions before Saturday’s matchup.

For both Texas and Oklahoma, Red River week is the most important of the year. Leaving the State Fair of Texas will fried food and the Golden Hat after a battle in the Cotton Bowl is expected from both schools.

This year’s matchup has even more spice to it, with both schools in dire need of a win to get their seasons turned around. The Longhorns is coming off a loss to TCU at home, while the Sooners are 0-2 in the Big 12 for the first time in the Lincoln Riley era.

For this week’s behind the enemy lines, we asked our friends at SoonersWire to answer five questions before Saturday’s matchup. Thank you to site editor Kegan Reneau for answering questions and for giving us an Oklahoma perspective.

Gallery: Images from the last Texas victory over Oklahoma

Can we expect any improvements in the run game this week?

That’s the question of all questions. The reality is probably not. Which puts a lot of pressure on Spencer Rattler. The interior of the offensive line has just not lived up to expectations.

How big of a difference will the quarterback age make?

In a normal OU-Texas year? A lot. In a COVID-19 OU-Texas year? Very little. I thought Spencer Rattler displayed his mental toughness and ability to handle adversity in Ames, Iowa, last week. He checked off that box heading into this game.

Is this more of a must-win for Texas or Oklahoma?

Texas. Not even a question. If Tom Herman can’t beat Oklahoma this year and win the Big 12, when will he? The Sooners are in a great position for the future. Texas’ future is hanging in the balance.

Which defense do you trust more when called upon?

NEITHER. GOD NO.

Three reasons Oklahoma wins?

Tom Herman screws this up. there is a clear path to Texas winning this football game and it’s scrapping Herman-ball and embracing the Air Raid. Oklahoma can’t sustain against it defensively.

Spencer Rattler plays like the best quarterback in the conference. It can happen. The kid is special.

Oklahoma gets after Sam Ehlinger again. It is wild to think that this defense had nine sacks a year ago in this game. The Sooners’ pass rush has actually been really good the last two games despite the low sack count.

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