Anything can happen on the second Saturday of October inside the Cotton Bowl.
The Oklahoma Sooners and No. 1 Texas Longhorns meet for the 122nd time for the Red River Rivalry at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Dallas. The Sooners seem clearly overmatched with no chance, but there's always the thought in the back of the minds of both fan bases that crazy things tend to happen in this classic game.
It would take Sooner Magic, so will Brent Venables brew some up?
Here's predicting if the Sooners can do the unthinkable and what else could also unfold on Saturday afternoon.
Ben Arbuckle dials up trickery for a big play (good or bad)
OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle hinted during Tuesday's weekly press conference that he could have something special up his sleeve for the Red River Rivalry.
We saw a lot of trickery from Arbuckle early in 2025, but so far this season, he's been rather conservative. That could be because of poor offensive line play, since most trick plays require extra time to develop.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, though, and Arbuckle has to try something to jolt some life into his offense for the Sooners to have a chance to reach the end zone at the Cotton Bowl for the first time in three years.
Whatever Arbuckle conjures up, it will be a massive play in this edition of the Red River Rivalry. It could either result in a touchdown to finally get that monkey off Venables' back and give the Sooners a real chance at an upset. It could also be disastrous for a team that has the worst turnover margin among Power 4 programs and squander any chances of OU pulling off a miracle.
No matter what, it will be worth the shot because this offense has been dead.
John Mateer is sacked 4+ times
The Sooners are giving up 2.25 sacks per game so far this season, but Texas surpasses that number on Saturday.
The Longhorns have the best pass rush OU has faced yet. They rank fourth in FBS, averaging 3.75 sacks per game with 15 total. Colin Simmons alone recorded 5.5 sacks against Tennessee.
Not only will the Sooners have to deal with that already dangerous pass rush, but they'll have to do it shorthanded (again), with starting left tackle Michael Fasusi likely missing his fourth straight game with injury. Fasusi was OU's best chance at keeping Simmons away from quarterback John Mateer, who will get taken to the dirt at least four times on Saturday.
Sooners score a defensive TD
After what we've witnessed in the past three games, the Sooners' defense has a better chance than the offense of getting into the end zone against Texas. OU's offense has not only struggled this season, but the Sooners haven't even scored a touchdown in the last two Red River Rivalry games.
Venables' defense has a knack for creating some Sooner Magic when it seems like there's no hope in a monumental matchup. That hasn't happened yet in 2026, so the Sooners are due, and the Red River Rivalry is the perfect time.
Predicting the final score for Oklahoma vs. Texas in Red River Rivalry
This game has all the makings of a blowout. The Longhorns are sitting atop college football at 4-0, already with a pair of top-15 wins. Meanwhile, on the crimson side of the Cotton Bowl, it feels like all hope has been lost for a 2-2 OU squad that can't do anything at all on offense.
The fact that the Sooners are 1-3 in the Red River Rivalry under Venables and have been thumped in the last two meetings seems to deflate chances even more.
But this is the Red River Rivalry. All fans, no matter how things have been going in Oklahoma lately, should expect the unexpected. Even Vegas oddsmakers understand that, with FanDuel listing Texas as a 7.5-point favorite.
As mentioned above, OU's defense feels due for a game-altering play. Arbuckle might also dial something up to get more points on the board. That could create a perfect storm, and perfection is exactly what it will take for the Sooners to pull off an upset.
However, I'm not sure this team has perfection in it. OU could play its best and make this one closer than most expect, and even give Sooner Nation some hope throughout, but that's it.
I've vowed before never to pick Texas to beat OU. It boils my Oklahoman blood. But this is the low we've reached. Without flat-out lying to myself, there's no reasonable way to pick the lifeless Sooners to win this one.
Saturday will be three losses in a row in the Red River Rivalry for Brent Venables. Crank up the temperature of his seat.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Final score prediction: Texas 17, Oklahoma 10
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