The pressure is through the roof for both, but in different ways.
Things are fine in Oklahoma. The team is 4-1 with a tough loss to Tennessee, but the offence is not working well, they have not been very good overall, and everyone thinks it could all fall apart quickly.
It did beat Texas last year, though, and is now 4-1. It also beat Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU, and Alabama.
All of them still have SEC games to go, along with South Carolina. If they lose to the Longhorns, the last six weeks will be very, very tough.
The next game for Texas is against Georgia, and the last game of the season is at Texas A&M. But before that, they play at Vanderbilt (stop! That HAS to be a win!), Florida, Arkansas, and Kentucky.
But this is a big deal for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the team because they lost to the Sooners last year in a rivalry game.
Texas vs Oklahoma Preview
Texas vs Oklahoma How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET
Venue: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
How to Watch: ABC
Oklahoma (4-1), Texas (5-0)
Why Texas Will Win
We have Quinn Ewers back.
While it is never good for anyone to get hurt, this time it worked out well for Texas. Arch Manning got to hit a few times while Ewers was out for two and a half games, and the main man had almost a month to rest and get better.
Even though Arch is great, Ewers is a little more unique right now. He is a great passer who does not get enough credit, and he should be strong against a Sooner pass defence that gave up 338 yards to Auburn.
But Ewers wants to do nothing wrong and let the third-best defence in the country handle the rest.
Texas has not given up more than 300 yards of total offence yet. Their offence is too good on third downs, and their second-best pass defence in the country will make things hard for Michael Hawkins Jr.
The OU quarterback who is young and starting is good, but not Ewers. But…
Why Oklahoma Will Win
It is getting hot now.
Oklahoma may have a lot of worries about this, but the pass rush should help with a lot of them by putting steady pressure on 3.
It is great to have Ewers back, but he might be a little shaky. He may be fit and fresh now, but he did not do any reps for a month because he took a break.
Even though Texas is running the ball well, Oklahoma’s front seven has been strong against the ground games. For the Texas attack, Ewers will have to be hot, but there will be times when he is not.
Then there is the “Prove It” bit.
Yeah, Texas looked good against Michigan, but now that does not look quite as good, and the Longhorns’ wins over UTSA, ULM, and a terrible Mississippi State have become much less likely.
There is pressure, yes. Oklahoma, Hawkins Jr., and head coach Brent Venables are all under a lot of pressure to get this season off to a great start. But Texas is going to win this.
The other team should start to think, “Uh oh, it is happening again,” the longer the Sooners stay in the game.
Texas vs Oklahoma: Who Will Win
This is where the same thing about this game has been written for 25 years…
A lot of the time, the Red River Rivalry makes no sense.
Last year, Dillon Gabriel pulled off a thrilling win for Oklahoma. In 2022, Texas dominated with a 49-0 score. In 2021, Caleb Williams made his debut in a 55-48 game against Oklahoma, a year after winning 53-45 in 2020. And…
The Sooners scored 63 points in 2012 and 55 points in 2011. A bad Texas team beat a great OU team in 2015. The Longhorns beat OU 16ā13 on their way to the national title game, and…
This game is often the “throw out the record book” clichĆ©.
Oklahoma will do everything it can to get the offence going, but Texas will be a little stronger and faster. Ewers will settle in, and after a crazy first half where both teams scored haymakers, the Longhorns’ speed will take over.
Texas vs Oklahoma Prediction, Betting Lines
Texas 34, Oklahoma 17
Line: Texas -14.5, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Texas vs Oklahoma Must See Rating: 5
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