Texas vs Oklahoma prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 6, Saturday, October 8
Texas vs Oklahoma How To Watch
Date: Saturday, October 8
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
How To Watch: ABC
Record: Texas (3-2), Oklahoma (3-2)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+
College Football Week 5 Roundup
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Week 5 Scoreboard
Week 6 Early Lines | Hot Seat Coach Rankings
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Cavalcade of Whimsy: The Silly Coaching World
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
Texas vs Oklahoma Game Preview
Why Oklahoma Will Win
What’s going right after two straight ugly performances?
QB Dillon Gabriel is questionable at very, very best after suffering a concussion in the 55-24 loss to TCU, the defense couldn’t do anything right in the 41-34 loss to Kansas State, and …
The running game still works. It struggled against TCU – especially when Gabriel got knocked out – but overall the rotation of backs is working, the offensive line is doing a solid job, and it all has to click against a Texas defense that struggled against Alabama’s ground game but has been solid against everyone else.
The Longhorns aren’t taking the ball away – none in the last two games and just two on the year – the offense isn’t controlling the clock, and …
Why Texas Will Win
Is Quinn Ewers ready to go?
While Oklahoma is prepping backup quarterback Davis Beville and giving JUCO transfer General Booty practice time, Texas is hoping to get its No. 1 QB back after getting knocked out in the Alabama loss.
No matter who’s under center, the Longhorn offense will be about three things: Bijan, Bijan, and Bijan.
The Oklahoma defensive front can get behind the line, but it has been miserable against the run with Kansas State and TCU ripping off yards in huge chunks.
The quarterbacks did the most damage – Kansas State’s Adrian Martinez and TCU’s Max Duggan each ran at will – but the backs got involved, too, and now it’s Bijan Robinson time. He hit the 100-yard mark over each of the last three games, he’s averaging six yards per carry, and he’ll keep getting fed until OU proves it can stop him.
What’s Going To Happen
This is one of those games that never, ever disappoints.
Texas looked like it was going to make a massive national statement as it ripped through Oklahoma in the first half of last year’s game, and then Caleb Williams stepped in and had other ideas in the 55-48 Sooner win.
OU survived the crazy 53-45 shootout in 2020, it pulled off a close win in 2019, Texas won in 2018 thanks to Cameron Dicker the freshman kicker, and on and on and on.
And sometimes weird things happen.
A mediocre 2015 Texas team handed a College Football Playoff-bound Oklahoma its only loss of the regular season.
The Sooners have owned the Red River Showdown lately, but these games are almost always close, there are always wild momentum swings, and they always play a huge role in the Big 12 title chase.
In this insane year in the conference with all ten teams good enough beat any of the other teams on the right day, this is even more of a must win than normal for two coaches who can’t lose this.
An Oklahoma win might show that the Brent Venables era really might be okay with a little bit of time, and a Texas win would settle that part of the base that’s not quite sold yet on Steve Sarkisian.
Oklahoma will make this close throughout with its best performance in a few weeks, but the problems at quarterback and leaky run defense will be too much to overcome.
Texas vs Oklahoma Prediction, Line
Texas 38, Oklahoma 34
Line: Texas -7, o/u: 65
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Texas vs Oklahoma Must See Rating (out of 5): 4.5
– Predictions of Every Game
– Bowl Projections | Rankings
– Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams
