The Red River Rivalry is officially upon us, and the energy is highkey electric. No. 1 Texas is rolling into Dallas today to face Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl, looking to secure their third straight win in this iconic matchup. The vibes are immaculate for the Longhorns, who hit the top spot in the rankings for the third consecutive season under coach Steve Sarkisian after a massive win over Ohio State in Week 2. ## The state of play Texas enters with one of the most lockdown defenses in the country, anchored by defensive end Colin Simmons. Simmons is straight-up cracked; he recently dropped a program record of 5.5 sacks against Tennessee, effectively forcing the opponent to bench their QB. With 29.5 tackles for loss and 21 sacks over his first two seasons, he is giving major main character energy. Meanwhile, the offense is led by quarterback Arch Manning. While Manning has had his moments of pure brilliance, he has lowkey struggled with consistency early in games. He needs to lock in early to make sure Texas maintains that top ranking. ## Oklahoma’s uphill battle Real talk, the Sooners are having a rough time. Under coach Brent Venables, Oklahoma is off to a shaky 2-2 start, coming off a brutal 41-13 loss to No. 2 Georgia where they fumbled the bag four times. Their offense is averaging a dismal 11.5 points per game against Power Four teams and is dead last in the SEC in rushing with 2.9 yards per carry. It is giving disaster. Historically, this rivalry has been a struggle for Venables, who has lost three of four games, averaging only 3.0 points in those defeats. Last year, Texas cruised to a 23-6 victory while keeping the Sooners out of the end zone entirely. ## Why it matters With Texas favored by 8.5, the betting model sees the Longhorns as the clear W. While this is a rivalry game where anything can happen, Oklahoma’s current form makes it an L in the eyes of most projections. Texas has everything to lose, and they need a dominant performance to stay on track for the playoffs.