The Red River Rivalry is returning for its annual bout at the Cotton Bowl.
No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0) takes on Texas (3-2) in the 121st iteration of the Red River Rivalry on Saturday.
This year’s matchup brings a few intriguing storylines. Will Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer make an early return from hand surgery? How will Texas bounce back from an upset loss against Florida? How will Arch Manning fare in his first Red River start?
All of those questions will be answered on the field Saturday. For now, columnists, writers and editors from The Dallas Morning News make their picks for this weekend’s game. See their predictions below.
Sports Roundup
Lia Assimakopoulos, college sports insider
Is Arch Manning better than an injured John Mateer or a healthy Michael Hawkins? Saturday will tell, but the results so far don’t say so. The Sooners would get a big boost if Mateer can play, but it shouldn’t matter in the end. Texas’ College Football Playoff hopes may come to an end at the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma 24, Texas 17
Tim Cowlishaw, columnist
We’ve got John Mateer trying to play hurt and Arch Manning just trying to play well. Either way, this is nothing like the missing QB and receiver issues Venables had to deal with before in this game, and Oklahoma has clearly been the superior team through five weeks. Sooners, 27, Longhorns 19
R.J. Coyle, trending sports producer
It’s just not a great time for Arch Manning and the Longhorns to be stepping into the Cotton Bowl. Manning appeared to lose his confidence again at The Swamp after briefly regaining it vs. Sam Houston, and Oklahoma’s defense — which has compiled 14 sacks in its past two games — won’t make things any easier on him. The last two blowouts in this series (2024 and 2022) have gone the way of the Longhorns. The Sooners get theirs on Saturday. Oklahoma 48, Texas 23
Selby Lopez, college sports editor
Even without John Mateer, Texas will need a superb outing from its defense to come away with a win. The same Texas defense that allowed a struggling Florida offense to score 27 points. Between that and the well-documented struggles for Arch Manning and the Texas offense, it’s hard to see the Longhorns pulling this one out. Oklahoma 21, Texas 13
Shawn McFarland, sports reporter
The Longhorns haven’t fielded a cohesive offense against either of the two power conference games that they’ve played. The Sooners may or may not have their star quarterback available or at full health. The defenses on each end are strong but Texas has a slight edge. That’ll decide this. Texas 24, Oklahoma 21.
Emma Moon, sports intern
While Texas has not had a statement win this season, the Longhorns’ defense should be enough to push them past an Oklahoma team likely without quarterback John Mateer. Texas has allowed seven touchdowns this season and is only giving up 12 points per game. Texas’ defense will need to continue this performance if the Longhorns want their first signature win of the year. Texas 23, Oklahoma 20
Kevin Sherrington, columnist
Steve Sarkisian plans for John Mateer to start at quarterback, and if he’s right, it’s bad news for Texas. If Mateer were available, the line would be double digits. Mateer’s almost certainly out, and there’s still no good news for the Longhorns. Oklahoma 24, Texas 20
Brad Townsend, sports enterprise reporter
Thought this might be a 10-7 game until seeing Florida consistently gouge Texas’ defensive front. If Mateer plays and is anywhere close to full strength, OU wins by double-digits. Oklahoma 21, Texas 16
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