Oklahoma vs. Texas Odds
| Oklahoma Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+17 -105 | 49.5 +100o / -120u | +600 |
| Texas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-17 -115 | 49.5 +100o / -120u | -900 |
By Dan Keegan
The shifting of college football’s tectonic plates has created new rivalries where once existed nothing.
Look at the colossal matchups in the Big Ten this week or some of the big collisions these two teams have and will play as members of the SEC.
But some fault lines run deeper than conference affiliation.
The Red River Rivalry is renewed this Saturday, the 120th edition, and the first with Texas and Oklahoma in their new southeastern digs. Big 12, SWC, SEC, Big 8 — no matter the league, this rivalry towers above.
Texas enters this neutral-site game as a two-touchdown favorite against the Sooners. This is no surprise: the Longhorns were a playoff team last year, have demonstrated that they have a complete team this year, and sport one of the best wins of the season thanks to a shellacking of defending national champion Michigan.
Oklahoma is good but one-sided. Its 10th overall defense (as rated by SP+) is anchored down by the 50th-ranked offense. Starting quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. is a true freshman and would be the third-stringer for Texas.
The Longhorns will be bolstered by the return of veteran quarterback Quinn Ewers, although his famous understudy Arch Manning added an extra dimension of mobility to the offense.
Will Steve Sarkisian, one of the best game-plan designers and play-callers in the sport, create a package with Manning to stress Oklahoma’s defense?
This game has a high spread, but it's one of the true “throw out the record books” rivalries. Oklahoma upset Texas last year, and every matchup seems to come down to the final drive, The amount of last-minute heroics in this game’s history is off the charts.
Every year, this is one of the best games of the entire season — and there's no better way to make it even more memorable than by cashing some bets.
In order to find the best ways to play this game, we polled our staff of 16 college football experts to find some consensus. Let’s get to their Oklahoma vs. Texas picks and predictions.
Oklahoma vs. Texas Spread
Texas -14.5
Does being a 14.5 favorite and having a starting quarterback who hasn’t been under center in more than a month seem like it might be an issue?
That hasn’t scared away our team of college football experts who are backing the Texas Longhorns in this quintessential rivalry between the two newest arrivals to the SEC.
Texas will enter this rivalry game as the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time in 40 years, and rightfully so after steamrolling its way to a perfect record as we hit the mid-October mark.
The Longhorns will face a formidable opponent in No. 18 Oklahoma, although the one-loss Sooners haven’t convinced oddsmakers or our staff that this is their chance to do something great.
After sitting out since injuring his oblique against UTSA on Sept. 14, Quinn Ewers will be back as the starting quarterback for the Red River Rivalry.
This is welcome news for Texas bettors and fans, as Ewers started the season as one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation, triumphantly leading the Longhorns past the top-10 Michigan Wolverines.
Ewers was at his best in the Big House, throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-12 victory, and he will certainly bring his "A" game here for one of the most important games of the season.
While Oklahoma will have an issue containing the offensive largesse of Ewers and the rest of the Texas offense, the real issue for the Sooners might be the Longhorn defense.
Coming into this game, Texas ranks second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.0 points per game, and it has yet to allow an opposing team to gain 300 yards of offense.
This will be the recipe for a long afternoon for novice quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and the rest of the overmatched Sooners.
In addition to our staff laying the chalk in this rivalry game, our Action Network PRO Report has tracked heavy sharp activity in favor of Texas.
In what is always a personal game for both teams, look for Sarkisian and Ewers to lead the Longhorns to a resounding victory as the clearly better team. We recommend laying the points at -15 or better.
Oklahoma vs. Texas Over/Under
Over 49 | 10 Picks |
Pass | 1 Pick |
Under 49 | 5 Picks |
Over 49
In a rivalry game that seems to always have a ton of fireworks, we lean pretty decisively to the over in the Red River Rivalry.
Texas gets quarterback Quinn Ewers back under center after missing the last few games with an abdominal injury.
I think Steve Sarkisian was being safe in holding Ewers out from the Mississippi State game, and I don’t expect much rust from the senior at the Cotton Bowl.
If something does happen to Ewers, the Texas offense should be able to roll on just fine with Arch Manning looking more than serviceable in the games he started.
Texas is absolutely loaded in the wide receiver room and has had its way with opposing secondaries all year.
Additionally, after dropping the game last year to the Sooners, there will be every effort made by Sark and company to fill up the scoreboard in this one.
Even in a loss last year, the Longhorns still put up 30 against Venables’ defense and infamously won, 49-0, in the 2022 matchup.
On the other side, Oklahoma has had its receiver room absolutely decimated by injury, which is a bit concerning.
That said, Michael Hawkins Jr. has given this OU offense a different element since taking over as the starter. The freshman is extremely athletic and has the ability to use his legs to pick up first downs in key spots.
Ultimately, it won’t be a surprise if Texas accounts for a majority of the scoring in this matchup, but the Sooners still have plenty of weapons to provide their fair share of scoring, which should push this game over the total.
There also always seems to be at least one weird defensive or special teams touchdown in this matchup, which can only help push the scoring over the number, which currently sits at 49.
More Ways to Bet Oklahoma vs. Texas
Quinn Ewers Over 1.5 Passing TDs (-146)
By Alex Hinton
Though Arch Manning performed quite well in his absence, senior Quinn Ewers will be back at quarterback for Texas in this edition of the Red River Rivalry.
Through 2.5 games, the senior Texan is completing 73.4% of his passes for 691 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
He has thrown two touchdown passes in all three games he has played in this season and in five of his past seven games dating back to last season.
Ewers also has thrown five touchdown passes in two career games against the hated Sooners. He threw four against Oklahoma in 2022 and one last year as Texas struggled in the red zone.
This year’s Oklahoma defense is improved, but it has allowed seven passing touchdowns in the past four games. Even much-maligned Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne threw for 338 yards and threw touchdowns against Oklahoma in its last game.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Ewers showed a little rust early coming back from injury, but he will have four quarters to hit this line. Of Texas’ 30 offensive touchdowns this season, 17 have been touchdown passes from Ewers and Manning.
Texas has a team total of 31.5 points, which it will need at least four touchdowns to reach.
Plus, if you have a 30% profit boost on FanDuel for this game, you can get this line at -112 odds.
