The No. 1 Texas Longhorns are heading into Red River Showdown week as 9.5-point favorites over the Oklahoma Sooners, and honestly, can you even be surprised? It’s official: this 2026 Texas team is built on defense, not the high-flying offense everyone thought it would be preseason. And man, that defense is absolutely insane.
Texas’ D Is Unstoppable, and Nobody Saw Colin Simmons Coming
Okay, so the preseason hype was all about the offense for Texas, right? Well, after their SEC opener against Tennessee, it’s clear the defense is leading the charge. And dude, Colin Simmons? He went absolutely OFF. The man snagged a school-record 5.5 sacks, single-handedly bringing down Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon a total of 10 times. You heard that right, *10 times*. The Volunteers came into that game averaging a whopping 510 yards per game, and Texas’ defense held them to a measly 221 total yards. Their rushing attack, which was putting up 298.67 yards on the ground in their first three games, managed just 70 yards against Texas. Seventy! For comparison, Tennessee then turned around and rushed for 237 yards the very next week against Auburn in a 24-14 win. That Texas defense? It’s the real deal, no question.
Oklahoma’s Season Is Officially On The Brink
On the flip side, what the heck is going on with Oklahoma? They completely faked everyone out at the start of the season with that 51-0 drubbing of UTEP, making us all think they’d fixed their offensive woes. Nope. They crashed back to earth real quick. Going to Ann Arbor, they put up a pathetic 10 points against Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines. That was enough to tie it in the fourth, sure, but then John Mateer turned the ball over, and boom, quick points for Michigan, game over. Then they nearly blew it against New Mexico, holding a one-point lead at halftime before a single chunk play saved them an eight-point win. Oof. And their luck absolutely ran out in Athens. Georgia capitalized on FOUR Oklahoma turnovers and handed them a crushing 41-13 loss right before their bye week. So yeah, 2-2 with a bye and those “season goals on life support” is an understatement, if you ask me.
The History Says This One Might Be A Snoozer, But It’s Red River, Baby!
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has straight-up owned this rivalry against Brent Venables. We’re talking three wins out of the last four, with an absolutely ridiculous 136-46 scoring margin in those games. The Sooners haven’t even scored a single touchdown in any of those three Texas wins and needed one with only 15 seconds left just to win one. The numbers don’t lie.
Now, all that said, this is Red River. It’s the kind of game where you expect the unexpected. The history and the current form, where you’ve got an undefeated No. 1 team playing a 2-2 squad, might make you think that 9.5-point line feels a little low. But that’s college football, man! This game usually comes down to who can handle the early emotions and, crucially, who takes better care of the football. All eyes will be on Dallas this weekend as these two historic rivals clash in one of college football’s biggest traditions. Can Oklahoma somehow pull off the upset and salvage their season goals, or will Sarkisian and that stifling Texas defense continue their dominance? We’re about to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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