Dallas Morning News columnists, writers and editors who had a hand in this week’s Red River Showdown coverage have given their predictions for Saturday’s game at the Cotton Bowl:
Tim Cowlishaw, columnist
It’s difficult to conceive of a Lincoln Riley team losing three straight Big 12 games but Sooners have already done the “hard part” losing to K-State and Iowa State. Defensive highlights won’t be the order of the day. Texas is 1-1 in conference play surrendering a Cowboys-like 44.5 points per game but experience has to count for something in this rivalry and Sam Ehlinger’s edge on Spencer Rattler will be the difference.
Texas 40, Oklahoma 33
Kevin Sherrington, columnist
Texas' best hope is if it comes down to Sam Ehlinger vs. Spencer Rattler, because the experience of the Longhorns' quarterback should overcome the promise of Rattler’s talent. Otherwise, this game might break all scoring records. The more I see of Texas, the more the Longhorns remind me of the Cowboys. And that’s not a compliment.
Oklahoma 45, Texas 38
Chuck Carlton, colleges insider
No strong conviction here outside of the fact that the loser will have an off week filled with what Bill Murray described in Ghostbusters: “human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.” Expect points galore with defenses that might have trouble tackling Betty White. Actually, Oklahoma was in control in the fourth quarter of both its losses and if Texas doesn’t fumble at the goal-line vs. TCU, Sam Ehlinger is the comeback kid. But you are what your record says you are.
Oklahoma 42, Texas 41
Sam Blum, colleges insider
A month ago, everyone thought the Red River Showdown would be a battle of the league’s top two teams. A game that would decide who had the inside track for the College Football Playoff. Instead, both teams are trying to avoid an even more dreadful start to the season. Oklahoma hasn’t lost three games in a season since 2014. It won’t get to three losses in this already shortened season in the first week of October.
Oklahoma 45, Texas 35
Scott Bell, colleges editor
Lincoln Riley suffered three conference losses in his first three years as Oklahoma’s head coach — an absurd 24-3 against conference foes (27-3 if you count the Sooners' three straight wins in the Big 12 title game, too). To match that mark through the first three games of this season would be unheard of. But 2020 is the year of the unheard of, so why not add more chaos and bump Oklahoma from Big 12 title contention only a third of the way into the season?
Texas 41, Oklahoma 38
Tess DeMeyer, staff writer
In a year when everything is unprecedented and the hierarchy of college football is scrambled due to frequent cancelations and upsets, having any sort of prior experience is a major advantage. Of the two quarterbacks set to start in The Red River Showdown, only one has been there, done that (three times already, in fact): Texas' Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger is 1-2 at Fair Park, but he’s less likely to succumb to rivalry game jitters.
Texas 38, Oklahoma 31
