Texas Enters Red River Showdown as No. 1, but Oklahoma Has Nothing to Lose

For the fourth consecutive week, the Texas Longhorns sit at No. 1 in the AP Top 25, having secured 61 of 70 first-place votes. They maintained their top ranking through a bye week and now turn their attention to the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

Oklahoma arrives with a starkly different résumé. The Sooners are 2-2 and unranked, having suffered losses to Michigan and Georgia, while their two victories came against UTEP and New Mexico. That gap in records and rankings is precisely what makes this matchup perilous for Texas.

The Longhorns have everything to lose, while the Sooners have a chance to alter the course of their season with a single afternoon. The Red River Rivalry has long disregarded rankings and records, and Texas understands that better than most. The Longhorns have taken the last two meetings, winning 34-3 in 2024 and 23-6 in 2025, and are now aiming for their first three-game win streak in the series since 1997-99.

Oklahoma's Defensive Strength

Oklahoma's defense has been its anchor. The Sooners have allowed only one opponent, Georgia, to exceed 300 total yards this season, and they are giving up just 13.8 points per game. That poses a challenge for a Texas offense that has struggled to generate explosive plays consistently since its season opener.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma's offense has been inconsistent. After opening with a shutout of UTEP, the Sooners fell to Michigan and then suffered a 41-13 loss at Georgia. They did defeat New Mexico 14-6, but scoring has been a struggle.

For Texas, the pressure is clear. At 4-0 and ranked No. 1, the Longhorns are chasing a perfect season. A loss to Oklahoma would turn their impressive start into a mere footnote. Texas already survived a close road game at Tennessee and spent its bye week watching the SEC landscape shift.

Now comes the rivalry that has a history of defying expectations. The Sooners do not need to prove they belong in the playoff conversation this weekend; they only need to beat Texas. That is what makes Saturday so dangerous.

Phoenix Haigis is a staff writer for the Texas Longhorns on SI. He is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in journalism with a minor in sports media. He also writes for the Daily Texans sports department. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Haigis is a lifelong Bengals fan and a defender of Skyline Chili. Follow him on X: @phoenix_haigis.