Red Flags: 5 college football teams on upset alert in Week 6
- Could Ohio State actually be in trouble?
- Georgia could have its back against the wall yet again
- Does Jimbo finally get his win against Saban and Alabama?
4. Texas Longhorns
Opponent: 12 Oklahoma | Time: Saturday, Oct. 7, Noon ET (ABC) | Spread: TEX -5.5
Probably the biggest game of Week 6 is the always-entertaining Red River Showdown (or whatever word you prefer there at the end). Texas comes in with the Alabama win under its belt and ranked No. 3 in the country, but Brent Venables' Oklahoma has rebounded from a disappointing 2022 season to also start 5-0 and come into this rivalry clash ranked No. 12.
For my money, Texas is the better team in this game. Steve Sarkisian's squad has the advantage on the lines of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, they have better offensive playmakers, I'd take Quinn Ewers over Dillon Gabriel, and the jury is still out on Venables as a head coach. That's all advantage, Longhorns.
And yet, this is Red River. In this rivalry, all bets are off.
The primary reasons to doubt Oklahoma are pretty clear. This offense has been stifled already at times this season, scoring just 20 points on the road against middling Cincinnati and just 28 points against SMU. Meanwhile, the defense hasn't faced a murderer's row and we might not know how good they are. And though Gabriel didn't play in this matchup last season, it was a 49-0 Texas blowout win in this game last year.
Yet, the crux of that is that we just don't know how good the Sooners are right now. While I'm of the belief that they are a tier below the rival Longhorns, there is a chance they are on the same level and show it on their biggest stage yet. This offense is explosive, Gabriel is talented, and the defense has improved from last season.
Again, my pick would be Texas to win and cover in this game... but you can't rule out the possibility of the Oklahoma upset. Not in the Red River Rivalry.