Texas Longhorns linebacker Brad Spence (14) celebrates a sack during the Red River Rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday Oct. 11, 2025 in Dallas, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Over the past four seasons, Texas football has seized control of the Red River Rivalry series against bitter rival Oklahoma.
The No. 1 Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 SEC) have won three of the past four games for the first time since 2006-09, and they’ve limited Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1) to a total of nine points in those three victories. Based on the betting lines, that dominance should continue for Texas. For just the second time in the game’s 126-year history, the Longhorns enter the game atop The Associated Press poll while the Sooners arrive unranked. Texas already beat then-No. 1 Ohio State and picked up a hard-fought SEC road win two weeks ago at Tennessee.
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The Sooners have struggled so far with unimpressive wins over UTEP and New Mexico as well as losses at Michigan and Georgia. But a triumph in the Cotton Bowl could change the course of the season and take some heat off head coach Brent Venables, who’s tallied a 34-22 record since taking over the OU program in 2022.
Here’s a full scouting report for the Texas Longhorns vs. the Oklahoma Sooners.
MORE: Texas vs OU predictions: How many points for Arch Manning; how many Colin Simmons sacks?
No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) vs. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1)
When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
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Where: Cotton Bowl in Dallas
TV/radio: ABC, 1300, 98.1, 105.3 (Spanish)
Weather: The State Fair should enjoy sunny skies and almost ideal weather, although it could get warm in the sun. Temperatures should climb into the high 80s, but a nice breeze will keep things from getting too sticky .
Texas vs Oklahoma football betting info
Moneyline: Texas -330 / Oklahoma +260
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Spread: Texas is favored by 7½ points.
Texas history: Oklahoma
All-time: Texas leads 65-51-5
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Last meeting: Texas 23, Oklahoma 6 (Jan. 1, 1969)
Most memorable meeting: Texas 26, Oklahoma 20 (1968). Texas won in a stirring comeback behind quarterback James Street in just his second game as the Longhorns’ starter. The second straight win for a Texas team that had tied and lost in the first two weeks of the season kicked off the most dominant stretch in school history, which included a 30-game win streak and back-to-back national titles in 1969 and 1970.
File photo of the Texas vs. Notre Dame Cotton Bowl game that took place January 1970. Pictured center is #16 quarterback, James Street with Coach Darrell Royal.
The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
Know the foe: Oklahoma
Last game: Lost at Georgia, 41-13 (Sept. 26)
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Players to watch: QB John Mateer, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior from the Dallas suburb of Little Elm, has struggled in his fifth and final collegiate season. He’s thrown for 883 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions and has just 76 yards rushing after picking up 1,255 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground over the previous two seasons.
WR Parker Livingstone, a 6-3, 200-pound junior, spent his first two seasons at Texas and even roomed with Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. Livingstone left for Oklahoma in the portal during the offseason and has drawn some good-natured ribbing from Manning and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, but he’s had minimal impact for the Sooners with six catches through four games as well as a costly fumble against Michigan.
Texas Longhorns receiver Parker Livingstone (13) makes a catch during the game against Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
DL David Stone, a 6-3, 315-pound junior, dislocated a kneecap in practice last month but returned in time for the Georgia game. He has just 14 tackles and two stops for a loss this season but remains one of the SEC’s elite run defenders.
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Central Texas connections: WR Isaiah Sategna III, who leads OU with 20 catches for 267 yards, graduated from Fayetteville (Ark.) High School but has Austin ties. His father, Mario Sategna, once coached track and field for Texas and the younger Sategna once played on a Pop Warner football team in Westlake with former Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe and current New York Jets quarterback Cade Klubnick. … DT Jacob Henry, an Austin native who played at Lake Travis and Vandegrift, attends OU on a wrestling scholarship but also plays for the Sooners’ football team. He’s the son of Mark Henry, a noted Texas booster and former professional wrestling star who co-hosts a popular radio show in Austin with Mike Hardge.
When Texas has the ball
Sarkisian has become cagey about injuries, deferring to the ambiguous injury reports that teams release each day beginning Wednesdays of game week. But RB Hollywood Smothers should return this week after missing the Tennessee game, and his explosiveness will help against a Sooner squad that has struggled against the run. Smothers averages 4.8 yards a carry, which leads all Texas players who have at least 10 carries, Oklahoma ranks just 42nd in the nation by allowing 115.5 yards per game on the ground. The Sooners are stingy in the red zone; they’ve given up points on just 60% of an opponents’ drives into the red area, which tops all Power Four programs.
Senior safety Peyton Bowen and younger brother Eli, a cornerback, lead a veteran secondary that could cause problems for Manning and his receiving corps. The Sooners rank fourth in the nation by allowing 122.5 yards per game while Texas ranks just 71st with 231.3 yards passing. But the Oklahoma DBs aren’t exactly ballhawks; they have just one interception this season.
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When Oklahoma has the ball
Can Oklahoma block a Texas pass rush led by Colin Simmons, who had a single-game school record 5 ½ sacks in the Longhorns’ 20-17 win over Tennessee two weeks ago? A struggling offensive line ranks just 120th in the nation as a unit in Pro Football Focus’s pass blocking grades, and the Longhorns rank fourth in the SEC with 15 sacks. If Mateer can’t get protection, the Sooners may not reach the end zone for a fourth time in the past five games.
The offensive line struggles extend to the ground game. The Sooners average only 2.9 yards per carry, while the offense ranks last in the SEC in total offense with 321.3 yards per game. That doesn’t bode well against a Texas defense that leads the SEC in scoring defense (13.3 points per game) and ranks fourth in total defense (271). Linebacker Rasheem Biles (30 tackles) and safety Jelani McDonald (26 tackles) both boast sideline-to-sideline range.
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Texas vs Oklahoma key matchup
Texas defensive end Lance Jackson vs. Oklahoma right tackle E’Marion Harris
Simmons will unquestionably get added attention from the Oklahoma pass protection after his record-setting performance against Tennessee. That means Lance Jackson, a 6-5, 275-pound sophomore, could get lots of one-on-one chances against E’Marion Harris opposite Simmons.
Texas vs Oklahoma prediction
Thomas Jones: Texas 26, Oklahoma 9. The Sooners are scrappy on defense, especially in the red zone. But their beleaguered offense will have problems crossing midfield against what may be the best defense in the SEC.
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Danny Davis: Texas. Bad Texas teams have beaten good Oklahoma teams in the Red River Rivalry and vice versa, but that won’t happen this weekend. Oklahoma will actually score a touchdown this time, but fans of the Sooners will be in line for Corny Dogs by the middle of the fourth quarter.
Cedric Golden: Texas 31, Oklahoma 17. The Oklahoma defense is no joke, but it will be the second best defense in Dallas, including the Cowboys. Colin Simmons comes up with two more sacks and Arch and Co. will do enough to pull this one out.