Texas opens as betting favorite over Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry game
By David Wasson
Published:
Even after tumbling out of the AP Top 25 poll following a disastrous road loss to Florida in Gainesville, the Texas Longhorns have opened as a 3-point favorite over arch-rival Oklahoma according to Circa Sports’ odds released on Sunday afternoon. The points total opens at 42½ points.
Saturday’s Red River Rivalry between Texas and 6th-ranked Oklahoma will be notable in that the Sooners might be playing without quarterback John Mateer – who broke his right throwing hand against Auburn on Sept. 20.
Oklahoma was successful in its first game without Mateer, as backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. passed for three touchdowns and ran for another en route to a 4-0 victory against Kent State last week. Even with the win, 5-0 Oklahoma dropped 1 spot in the AP Top 25.
Texas fell to 3-2 against an embattled Florida team, losing to the Gators 29-21 in The Swamp. Florida’s DJ Lagway out-passed preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Arch Manning 298-263.
Saturday’s Red River Rivalry (3:30 pm, ABC) is the 121st meeting between Oklahoma and Texas, with the Longhorns leading the series 64–51–5. Since 1934, the game has been played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
