Game Prediction: No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 21 Texas Longhorns

Two of the most hated teams in college football right now meet in their annual Red River Rivalry. Can Oklahoma keep its CFP hopes alive, or will Texas snap a three game slide in the series?

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Oct 8, 2021 12:28 PM EDT

Texas and Oklahoma are the evil villains of college football right now. They're decision to leave the Big 12 sent shock waves through the sport and left much of the country wondering what additional moves were going to follow. It sure created a lot of instability in the late summer/early fall.

While they've dealt with a lot of that negative attention, the Sooners have managed to stay undefeated and they're right in the thick of the CFP race. Meanwhile, after getting smoked by Arkansas, the Longhorns have responded nicely and have a 4-1 record now on the season after some big offensive fireworks the last couple weeks.

This could end up being a really fun game, perhaps more so than usual!

OKLAHOMA vs. TEXAS – Saturday, 12 p.m. at Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas
Spread: Oklahoma (-3.5)
O/U Total: 63.5

Brendan Gulick: Texas 41, Oklahoma 28

I think Oklahoma has a good football team ... but I don't think they are nearly as good as the polls would indicate. Yes, they've won every game they've played and winning is the most important thing. But man, they haven't exactly looked good doing it. It sure feels like Spencer Rattler has gone from Heisman hopeful to serviceable college quarterback in a hurry.

Texas' offense is really clicking right now and I think after losing the last three in a row (and 15 of the 22 meetings since 2000), I think Texas lays it on pretty good. The Longhorns are fifth in rushing offense in the country, sixth in scoring offense and they're the second best third down offense in college football.

Andrew Lind: Oklahoma 42, Texas 38

Both the Sooners and Longhorns have the weapons to put up a ton of points, which is why I anticipate this turning into an old-school Red River shootout. Avoiding turnovers and not settling for field goals in a back-and-forth game will be key.

It’s worth noting the team with a halftime lead has won four of the last five meetings, with last year’s game being tied at the half. Whichever team gets off to a strong start will be able to withstand the emotional swings over the course of the the game, and I think that will be the team with the experienced quarterback.

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Brett Hiltbrand: Texas 41, Oklahoma 35

The total should be in serious jeopardy in this game because we should get a solid 'shootout' at the Cotton Bowl. Texas won't be 'back' if they win this game, it'll just confirm Brendan's suspicions about Oklahoma not being as good as I think they are. I'm still Team Lincoln even though I think it's time Texas got this one right.

Caleb Spinner: Oklahoma 23, Texas 13

Whomever wins this game will more than likely be the king of the Big 12. My gut tells me to go with Texas because of their opening-week win over No. 23 Louisiana. The major thing stopping me from choosing the Longhorns is that they also have the only loss out of these two teams, by 19 points to unranked Arkansas at that. Oklahoma gets my vote to win here, but I believe the Sooners will more than cover the -3.5 spread at which the SI Sportsbook has them.

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