The Red River Rivalry kicks off again in Dallas, as Texas and Oklahoma will square off in a marquee matchup Saturday afternoon. Television coverage begins at 12 p.m. ET on ABC.
How to watch Oklahoma vs. Texas: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Can the Longhorns recover from their disastrous start with a big win at the Cotton Bowl?
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Sooners have had a strong start to the year as their undefeated 5-0 mark puts them in the top class of the country. Oklahoma opened up with a 34-0 win against Louisiana-Monroe, and has followed up with convincing victories over West Virginia, Tulsa and Notre Dame. Last week, the Sooners defeated conference foe TCU 20-17. The Sooners have one of the toughest defenses in the country, too, giving up just 13 points per game. The problem for them may come on offense, and while Texas has had serious troubles stopping anyone, the Longhorn faithful think Oklahoma might be a different story.
Texas, meanwhile, has struggled out of the gate, leaving many to question whether Mack Brown will return as head coach next year. After a convincing 56-7 win over New Mexico State, the Longhorns gave up a program-record 550 rushing yards to BYU in a blowout loss and followed that up with a 44-23 home loss at the hands of Ole Miss. Texas started out Big 12 play against two teams in the bottom tier of the conference and eked out wins against Kansas State and Iowa State.
The Longhorns will be without starting quarterback David Ash, while Oklahoma will be missing starting linebacker Corey Nelson (now out for the year). The Sooners could also be without defensive tackle Jordan Phillips.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Oklahoma is ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Coaches’ Poll. The Sooners are 5-0, 2-0 in Big 12 play, while Texas is 3-2 and 2-0 in conference competition. Texas leads the all-time series 59-43-5, but Oklahoma has won the last three contests between the two schools.
Vegas: Oklahoma is a 14-point favorite with an over/under of 56.5 points. OddsShark has more.
Weather: High 70s with a chance of rain.
Three names to know
Case McCoy. With David Ash out, Texas is going to have to go with the side-armer again at quarterback. That is not good news for the Longhorns considering he's only averaging 5.6 yards per attempt this season.
Blake Bell. On the other side, the Sooners' quarterback is having a fine season, transforming from a short-yardage specialist to a well-rounded quarterback.
Brennan Clay. Bell is helped by his senior running back. Clay is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and should get a lot of play against a porous Texas run defense.
Two things at stake
For Oklahoma, a loss against this Texas team would not only be embarrassing -- it would be devastating for their Big 12 title hopes.
After a disastrous start to the season, a win here could save Mack Brown's job and also vault Texas back into the conference title discussion.
How to witness
TV: 12 p.m. ET on ABC.
Online streaming: WatchESPN.
Further reading
For all your Oklahoma news, perspective and analysis, check out Crimson & Cream Machine. For Texas, head to Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.
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