The excessive hype for the Texas Longhorns in 2025 is already bleeding into the Red River Rivalry before fall camp is even over.
FanDuel odds already have the Oklahoma Sooners as 9.5-point underdogs in the Red River Rivalry over two months before the game even kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Oct. 11 in Dallas. If Sooner Nation does have faith in the 2025 OU team, though, then now would be the time to put money down before that number surely drops before game week, or even after Week 1.
Odds already counting out Sooners vs. Texas
Hype has bursted for the Longhorns heading into the 2025 season with Arch Manning, who backed up seventh-round NFL Draft pick Quinn Ewers, taking over at quarterback as a sophomore. On Monday, coaches even voted the Longhorns as the No. 1 team in the preseason coaches poll, which OU was left out of for the first time since 1999.
Most outside of Sooner Nation, or even within, still haven't bought into the Sooners turning things around in 2025 after going 6-7 last season. The opposite trajectories based on last year's results are what ultimately influenced the Sooners being nearly double-digit underdogs in a rivalry game this early.
That could actually be good news for the Sooner faithful, though. It gives the believers a chance to bet on the Sooners early, especially on their 6.5 projected win total. Even if OU loses to Texas a second straight season, it usually isn't a 10-point margin.
Those odds will also decrease once the season gets going. Texas opens the season on the road against Ohio State, which FanDuel made a 2.5-point favorite. If Vegas is right, then a Texas loss will decrease its inflated odds across the board.
The Sooners are actually 2.5-point favorites in their biggest nonconference game Week 2 against Michigan. So based on odds alone, OU should go into the Red River Rivalry a perfect 5-0, while Texas is 4-1. There's no way Vegas leaves an undefeated OU team as a massive underdog in a rivalry game at a neutral site.
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