Oklahoma football: Ranking the five most difficult OU games in 2023

Oklahoma and Texas players get in an argument during the Red River Showdown college football game between the University of Oklahoma (OU) and Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. Texas won 49-0.Lx19094
Oklahoma and Texas players get in an argument during the Red River Showdown college football game between the University of Oklahoma (OU) and Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. Texas won 49-0.Lx19094 /
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Oct 12, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) wears the Golden Hat after the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) wears the Golden Hat after the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Oct. 7

Last season’s Red River Rivalry game was an utter embarrassment for those of us who bleed crimson. The 49-0 Texas victory was the worst defeat by an Oklahoma team in the 118-year history of the series. The Sooners are expected to be better in the 2023 season, but Texas is as well. The Longhorns are the consensus choice to win the Big 12 in 2023, and it would appear, at least on paper, that Texas has the better talent at the skill positions and perhaps in the trenches, as well, where this big-time rivalry is generally won or lost.

The Sooners were not victorious against the Longhorns last season, but they have won seven of the last 10 games in the series.

Texas is typically the biggest game of the year every season for the Sooners, and since the two teams have been members of the Big 12, a number of times the winner of this game has gone on to win the conference championship. Some believe that could be the case again this season and that the regular-season game might be a preview of the Big 12 championship game in the final season in the Big 12 for both schools. Trust me, that is not a scenario that Big 12 officials would like to see happen.