No. 2 Texas Hosting No. 8 Oklahoma in Top 10 Red River Showdown

It has been a tale of two teams so far this season for the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (20-4, 4-2). At times they've looked like far and away the best team in the country, having secured a pair of SEC series win over the No. 18 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 5 Auburn Tigers the last two weekends.

Conversely, their last two midweek games have been anything but. First, they lost to the Tarleton State Texans 6-1 last Tuesday in a flat, uninspiring performance. Most recently was a 9-7 loss to the Houston Cougars, a game in which they once led 7-0 before allowing nine unanswered runs.

Now, though, they must flush that disappointing loss away and focus on the next game. Which will be the first of a heavyweight bout, as the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners (19-5, 4-2) come to town on Thursday determined to leave Austin with a massive series win under their belts.

Texas Longhorns outfielder Aiden Robbins celebrates after hitting a home run against the Auburn Tigers. | University of Texas Athletics

How to watch/listen -

Thursday March 26 - 7 p.m. CT - SEC Network/TexasSports.com/Audio

Friday March 27 - 7 p.m. CT - SEC Network/TexasSports.com/Audio

Saturday March 28 - 4 p.m. CT - SEC Network/TexasSports.com/Audio

A look at Oklahoma's season so far -

The Sooners came out of the gate red hot in 2026, starting their season 7-0. They've stayed locked in since, too, dropping only five games in their first 24 and cementing themselves as one of the nation's best. Especially impressive in conference play, they've also managed to win each of their first two SEC series.

Oklahoma by the numbers -

Record - 19-5 (4-2)

Runs scored - 192

Runs allowed - 93

Team Avg. - .292

Opponent Avg. - .210

Team ERA - 3.54

Opponent ERA - 7.85

Oklahoma wins this series if...

It can keep the games close heading into the final innings. At that point, all the Sooners will have to do is patiently wait for what seems like an inevitable bullpen meltdown. While it isn't all doom and gloom for the Texas bullpen, there is no denying that it has been a major cause for concern recently.

Against the Houston Cougars on Tuesday, they allowed nine unanswered runs and let a 7-0 lead slip away in an eventual 9-7 loss. Yes, the offense could have been better, too. However, a seven-run lead being choked is an ugly performance no matter how you slice it.

This pattern was also evident against both the No. 18 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 5 Auburn Tigers. If the Sooners can force it to happen again, then they could leave Austin with a huge series win.

Texas wins this series if...

On the flip side of that, it can figure out its bullpen woes in late-inning situations. Three of their four losses this season have seen leads vanish after the bullpen came in and struggled, including both of their defeats in conference play.

They cannot afford for this to be a consistent occurrence, both in their midweek games and especially not in conference play. Failing to come up with a solution against this Sooners squad will only lead to disaster, as they will exploit that weakness without missing a beat.

Should they get it solved, though, then they're in a strong position to win the series. Especially with the starting rotation firing on all cylinders and an offense that has shown it can put up big numbers against some of the SEC's best arms.

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