OU football vs Texas TV channel, odds, scouting report for Red River Rivalry

NORMAN — Fresh off a bye week, Oklahoma is looking to flip the script on what's been a disappointing season thus far.

The Sooners, which sit at 2-2 after losses to Georgia and Michigan, now head to the Cotton Bowl to face No. 1 Texas (4-0) in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas.

OU has lost two consecutive games to the Longhorns and three of the last four in the series. From 2016-21, the Sooners won six of the seven contests but since coach Brent Venables took over OU is 1-3.

"It'll be a great challenge," Venables said on his coach's show last week. "It's something that we need to get on the right side of it, we haven't been on the right side of it. It's always an awesome atmosphere and a big deal to people on one side or the other of the Red River."

Texas defeated then-No. 1 Ohio State on Sept. 12 at home and then-No. 14 Tennessee on Sept. 26 on the road.

Venables is sticking with quarterback John Mateer for now even after he turned the ball over three times in the first half of the Sooners' road loss to the Bulldogs. This time last year, Mateer played against the Longhorns 17 days removed from surgery to repair a broken thumb.

If OU wants to compete with Texas, it'll have to limit its disastrous turnovers. In the Sooners' last three games, they've lost the turnover battle 9-2.

It'd certainly help OU if it was able to get back some injured players like safety Michael Boganowski, left tackle Michael Fasusi and linebackers Owen Heinecke and Cole Sullivan.

Here's everything you need to know about the 122nd edition of the Red River Rivalry:

Stream OU vs Texas live via ESPN

More: What's gone right, wrong for OU football through four games of 2026 season?

Oklahoma vs Texas

When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Cotton Bowl in Dallas

TV channel: ABC

Line: Longhorns by 8.5

Over/under: 39.5

Scouting Texas

Record: 4-0 (1-0 SEC)

Best player: Texas third-year edge rusher Colin Simmons will be the best player on the field Saturday. The 6-foot-3 Dallas native recorded 5.5 sacks in the Longhorns' win over the Volunteers. No OU player has more than 2.5 sacks the entire season. Simmons is a projected top-10 pick in next year's NFL Draft and should feast against a struggling Sooners offensive line.

The case for Texas: As listed above, the Longhorns have two of the best wins in the nation. Quarterback Arch Manning has done enough with 862 passing yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has perhaps the most explosive supporting cast in the country with former OU running back Hollywood Smothers and receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo. Texas' defense ranks eighth among Power Four teams in points allowed per game and will have a field day if the Sooners continue to turn the ball over at an alarming rate.

The case for OU: The Sooners' defense should give the Longhorns offense some issues. OU's unit is also one of the nation's best and will only improve if it can get healthier. The tallest task will be moving the ball on offense. If offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle can show some of the things we saw in the Georgia game without Mateer's turnovers, OU will have a shot.

Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football vs Texas TV channel, odds, scouting report for Red River Rivalry

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