Alex Dunlap
I've correctly picked the last two Oklahoma upsets against my better judgment, mostly due to off-the-field narratives and gut feelings. Now, the biggest narrative of all faces this Longhorn team in that its coach is surely soon-to-be-canned if it comes up short at the Cotton Bowl. Still, I can't predict the victory. The fundamental flaws with the defensive coaching in technique and scheme - along with the continued in-game mismanagement coming from the very top - simply seem too much to overcome. If Strong had deep, troubling issues with in-game management and strategy before, what's going to happen when he has defensive play-calling dumped on his plate on top of everything else?
Oklahoma 47 - Texas 35
Geoff Ketchum
I think we're going to see a game that mirrors what we watched a week ago in Stillwater. Both teams are going to score points, but this is going to be a week when it might take at least 45 points to win the game and I think at some point the Texas offense will blink and Oklahoma will separate. While Texas physically dominated the Sooners at the point of attack a year ago, there's a part of me that wonders whether the opposite will be true this year because I'm expecting Bob Stoops to have his team prepared and then some. IN order for the Longhorns to win, D'Onta Foreman will need to be at his all-time best and Shane Buechele might have to join him. It just feels like this won't be a week when that's going to happen. Duck...
Oklahoma 45 - Texas 34
Dustin McComas
The only thing I'm confident predicting about this game is that it's unpredictable.
Oklahoma isn't that good, and is now without its best defensive lineman Charles Walker.
Texas is a mess and now a head coach that struggles with in-game management has added being a full-time defensive coordinator to his plate after demoting his coordinator.
Both teams check the "desperate team" box entering this one. Oklahoma wants to get its season back on track, and has been outplayed in the last three Red River Shootouts. Texas' head coach might be coaching for his job, and its season is dangerously close to being completely off the rails.
Both defenses have stopped anyone all year. Are the Longhorns suddenly going to tackle and play with confidence and toughness on defense? Well, they better, or it could get ugly, I think. Oklahoma enters the game No. 6 overall in S&P+ offense and No. 2 nationally in both rushing and passing. Baker Mayfield looked more like the 2015 version last week at TCU. If the Longhorns don't take the field with confidence on defense, the Cotton Bowl environment and Oklahoma offense will chew them up and spit them out, and it won't matter how Shane Buechele, who still might be bothered by that rib, and the Texas offense perform.
Maybe the Longhorns show up with a completely different demeanor, look, and production on defense. But until I see it, I'm not going to expect it.
Oklahoma 49 - Texas 37
Anwar Richardson
I said seeing is believing last week. That remains my theme this week. Sure, it is a rivalry game, and you should throw records out the window. Yes, Texas pulled off an upset last year. That being said, I cannot ignore the defensive performance of this year's team, the conservative second half play-calling we have witnessed the past two weeks, or the disaster on special teams against Oklahoma State. Can Texas beat Oklahoma? Absolutely. Texas can beat any team remaining on its schedule. However, we need to see it first.
Oklahoma 45 - Texas 38
Jason Suchomel
This is very much a winnable game for the Longhorns. Texas' offense is good enough that it should keep UT in the game, and Oklahoma just isn't that good.
On paper, these two teams resemble each other incredibly closely. They both can run the ball well, can both make plays in the passing game, both play pretty good run defense and are both atrocious defending the pass.
If Texas can stay close going into the second quarter, I'm expecting a four-quarter ball game. If OU jumps out to an early lead by a couple scores, I could see Texas folding. I'm going with the former, but the Longhorns come up just short.
Oklahoma 38 - Texas 34
I've correctly picked the last two Oklahoma upsets against my better judgment, mostly due to off-the-field narratives and gut feelings. Now, the biggest narrative of all faces this Longhorn team in that its coach is surely soon-to-be-canned if it comes up short at the Cotton Bowl. Still, I can't predict the victory. The fundamental flaws with the defensive coaching in technique and scheme - along with the continued in-game mismanagement coming from the very top - simply seem too much to overcome. If Strong had deep, troubling issues with in-game management and strategy before, what's going to happen when he has defensive play-calling dumped on his plate on top of everything else?
Oklahoma 47 - Texas 35
Geoff Ketchum
I think we're going to see a game that mirrors what we watched a week ago in Stillwater. Both teams are going to score points, but this is going to be a week when it might take at least 45 points to win the game and I think at some point the Texas offense will blink and Oklahoma will separate. While Texas physically dominated the Sooners at the point of attack a year ago, there's a part of me that wonders whether the opposite will be true this year because I'm expecting Bob Stoops to have his team prepared and then some. IN order for the Longhorns to win, D'Onta Foreman will need to be at his all-time best and Shane Buechele might have to join him. It just feels like this won't be a week when that's going to happen. Duck...
Oklahoma 45 - Texas 34
Dustin McComas
The only thing I'm confident predicting about this game is that it's unpredictable.
Oklahoma isn't that good, and is now without its best defensive lineman Charles Walker.
Texas is a mess and now a head coach that struggles with in-game management has added being a full-time defensive coordinator to his plate after demoting his coordinator.
Both teams check the "desperate team" box entering this one. Oklahoma wants to get its season back on track, and has been outplayed in the last three Red River Shootouts. Texas' head coach might be coaching for his job, and its season is dangerously close to being completely off the rails.
Both defenses have stopped anyone all year. Are the Longhorns suddenly going to tackle and play with confidence and toughness on defense? Well, they better, or it could get ugly, I think. Oklahoma enters the game No. 6 overall in S&P+ offense and No. 2 nationally in both rushing and passing. Baker Mayfield looked more like the 2015 version last week at TCU. If the Longhorns don't take the field with confidence on defense, the Cotton Bowl environment and Oklahoma offense will chew them up and spit them out, and it won't matter how Shane Buechele, who still might be bothered by that rib, and the Texas offense perform.
Maybe the Longhorns show up with a completely different demeanor, look, and production on defense. But until I see it, I'm not going to expect it.
Oklahoma 49 - Texas 37
Anwar Richardson
I said seeing is believing last week. That remains my theme this week. Sure, it is a rivalry game, and you should throw records out the window. Yes, Texas pulled off an upset last year. That being said, I cannot ignore the defensive performance of this year's team, the conservative second half play-calling we have witnessed the past two weeks, or the disaster on special teams against Oklahoma State. Can Texas beat Oklahoma? Absolutely. Texas can beat any team remaining on its schedule. However, we need to see it first.
Oklahoma 45 - Texas 38
Jason Suchomel
This is very much a winnable game for the Longhorns. Texas' offense is good enough that it should keep UT in the game, and Oklahoma just isn't that good.
On paper, these two teams resemble each other incredibly closely. They both can run the ball well, can both make plays in the passing game, both play pretty good run defense and are both atrocious defending the pass.
If Texas can stay close going into the second quarter, I'm expecting a four-quarter ball game. If OU jumps out to an early lead by a couple scores, I could see Texas folding. I'm going with the former, but the Longhorns come up just short.
Oklahoma 38 - Texas 34
