Oklahoma football: 5 bold predictions for 2020

Oklahoma football bold prediction No. 3: Red River Rivalry will be the biggest game.

Make no mistake, Oklahoma should be the best team in the Big 12. If you run the simulations of what these teams look like on paper, the Sooners should be able to come away with the conference nine times out of 10. Having said that, games aren’t played on paper and, with the rivalries within the conference, there are multiple times when Riley’s club could potentially slip up.

The likely season finale against rival Oklahoma State is going to be a critical matchup. The same could be said for another meeting with Baylor, especially if the Bears can build upon what they accomplished last season, even with Matt Rhule departing. But let’s be honest; when it comes to the Sooners, the one game that always just seems to mean more is the Red River Rivalry matchup with the Texas Longhorns.

Since Tom Herman took over in Austin and especially since Sam Ehlinger became the starting quarterback for the Longhorns, these two rivals have been trading haymakers year after year. That’s not something that’s likely to change in the 2020 season. And as they are the two favorites to win the Big 12 this year, that makes the game that much more important.

One thing that the Longhorns have over Oklahoma is continuity amid the pandemic-shortened offseason. With Ehlinger back, they have the experience advantage, which could be massively important in this matchup. In the simplest terms, though, the winner of the Red River Rivalry matchup could determine who takes the top spot in the conference for the regular season.