College football Week 7 picks: Oregon-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma | Before The Snap
Before The Snap highlights three big Week 7 games with some straight-up picks for Oregon-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma and LSU-Ole Miss.
One of the most unique atmospheres in college football is here, as Texas and Oklahoma head to Dallas to face off in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl.
The No. 1 Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) face No. 16 Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) on Saturday surrounded by the State Fair of Texas with the stadium split into halves right down the middle – one crimson and one burnt orange.
REQUIRED READING: Ohio State-Oregon, Oklahoma-Texas lead college football’s Week 7 games to watch
Texas is looking for revenge on the Sooners after allowing a game-winning touchdown pass from Dillon Gabriel to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds remaining to lose 34-30 in last year’s edition. However, Oklahoma will be without Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon, and its top five receivers, who are all out due to injury.
Instead, Oklahoma turns to true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., who made his first career start in a 27-21 road win over Auburn two weeks ago. Hawkins Jr., who’s set to become the first true freshman to ever start the Red River Rivalry for the Sooners, replaced former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold late in the first half of Oklahoma’s loss to Tennessee in Week 4.
The Longhorns also return star quarterback Quinn Ewers, who missed Texas’ last three games due to injury.
Follow along for live updates, highlights and score from Texas-Oklahoma in 2024:
REQUIRED READING: Quinn Ewers injury update: Will Texas QB play against Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry?
This section will be updated.
TEAMS | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Oklahoma | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― |
Texas | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― |
1:07 p.m.: Important development: Bevo has made it inside the Cotton Bowl.
1:06 p.m.: Here’s a look at Oklahoma’s scene setter, narrated by Caleb Followill, the lead singer of Kings of Leon:
Texas-Oklahoma will air live on ABC, with streaming options available on the ESPN app or ESPN+.
Watch Texas-Oklahoma live with ESPN+
The 2024 Red River Rivalry will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 12, from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Here’s the series record for the Red River Rivalry, which has been played since 1900:
Here are score predictions for the game, courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman and The Oklahoman:
Cedric Golden: Texas 35, Oklahoma 17. The Sooners have a terrific defense but won’t be able to keep up with the Longhorns. Quinn Ewers comes back and shakes off some early rust to keep the SEC title train on the tracks.
Thomas Jones: Texas 38, Oklahoma 13. Barring a flurry of turnovers, the Longhorns should cruise against a Sooner squad struggling to find its offensive identity.
David Eckert: Texas 28, Oklahoma 14. Texas will win this game comfortably if it wins the turnover battle. With Quinn Ewers likely back under center and a freshman in Michael Hawkins Jr. quarterbacking the Sooners, that feels likely.
Ryan Aber: Texas 24, Oklahoma 20. OU’s defense stands strong, but Arch Manning comes off the bench to throw for a touchdown late to lift the top-ranked Longhorns to victory. The Sooners’ offense shows some life under Michael Hawkins Jr., but it isn’t quite enough as the Longhorns hold on.
Jenni Carlson: Texas 27, Oklahoma 10. Texas’ size and strength on the lines of scrimmage is too much for OU. Michael Hawkins settles in, plays fairly clean, gives Sooners offensive hope moving forward.
Joe Mussatto: Texas 38, OU 13. OU’s offense sputters again, this time with no one to turn to. Quinn Ewers and the ‘Horns reveal cracks in Sooner defense.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday, Oct. 12
Injuries courtesy of Friday night’s SEC availability report update:
Here’s a look at the Sooners’ full 2024 football schedule, including dates, times and television designations:
All times Eastern.
*Denotes SEC game
Here’s a look at the Longhorns’ full 2024 football schedule, including dates, times and television designations:
All times Eastern.
*Denotes SEC game
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