Oklahoma heads into Saturday’s Red River Rivalry with the kind of pressure that can swallow a season whole.
Brent Venables has been in Norman since 2022, and one number keeps hanging over everything: he still hasn’t put together back-to-back winning seasons as the Sooners’ head coach. That’s the backdrop for a trip to Dallas that suddenly feels bigger than a rivalry game. Oklahoma is 4 games into a season that has already gone sideways, and now undefeated Texas is waiting.
The Sooners have been here before. Venables opened with a 6-7 season, followed it with a 10-3 rebound, then watched the program slide right back to 6-7.
Last year brought a different kind of high point: Oklahoma won 10 games, reached the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019 and leaned on one of the nation’s best defensive units. The school rewarded that run with a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2031 season.
This fall has looked nothing like that surge. Oklahoma began the season in the top 10, but it has fallen out of the AP Top 25 completely.
The Sooners’ only wins have come against G5 teams, and a lopsided loss to Georgia has dropped them to .500. After putting up 51 points in the opener, Oklahoma has scored just 37 combined points over its last three games.
Even a 14-point outing against New Mexico did little to calm anyone down.
Now comes the hardest test of all: the No. 1 team in the country, backed by a defense that has not given opponents much room to breathe.
For Oklahoma, this is more than a chance to beat Texas. It’s a shot at its first signature win of the season, and maybe the kind of jolt that could keep a sinking year from sliding further.
The problem is that the Cotton Bowl has not treated Venables especially well. Since he took over, Oklahoma has lost three of four games against Texas, including the last two meetings. In those two defeats, the Sooners managed only nine total points and did not score an offensive touchdown in either game.
Venables did have one breakthrough in this series. In 2023, Oklahoma stunned then-No.
3 Texas, 34-30, and rode that win into a 10-win season. Three years into his tenure, he has another chance to land a result like that against a top-ranked opponent.
If the Sooners lose, they would fall to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in SEC play. That wouldn’t automatically send Venables into real danger, especially with the extension already in place, but it would force a louder conversation around a program that expects much more than this. Another losing season would be enough to get the hot seat talk going in earnest.
Texas arrives in Dallas trying to protect its unbeaten record and keep its national championship push on track. Oklahoma is looking for something simpler, and maybe more urgent: evidence that this season can still be rescued.
A win wouldn’t erase the inconsistency that has followed Venables, but it would at least suggest last year’s success was more than a flash in the pan. A loss would leave the Sooners staring at the same question that has followed their coach from the start.
When will Oklahoma finally learn how to sustain success?
In Other News...
Texas Gets A Rivalry Boost From A Familiar Face Returning
Hollywood Smothers has already become a useful part of Texas run game after arriving from Oklahoma by way of North Carolina State, and his presence has been felt in 2026 even with the Longhorns still sorting out their backfield. He missed a recent game because of a lower leg injury, but the timing of his return could hardly be better for a Texas team heading into one of the most charged dates on the schedule.
Smothers is healthy again and expected to be available for the Red River Rivalry against the Sooners, the program he once called home. For Texas, that adds both depth and a little extra bite to a matchup that rarely needs any help getting there. [Read more 🡒]
Red River Just Got More Personal For Texas In A New Way
The buildup to the Red River Rivalry already has plenty of familiar edge, but Texas is also dealing with a newer kind of familiarity on the other sideline. Parker Livingstone, a junior wide receiver, transferred from Texas to Oklahoma after the 2025 season, adding another layer to a matchup that always seems to find a way to feel personal. Steve Sarkisian has acknowledged the reality of letting Livingstone and other players move on, and now the Longhorns have to sort through those departures as part of the backdrop to one of the sports most emotional weekends.
Livingstone has not been as productive at Oklahoma so far this season, but his presence still gives Texas another reason to pay attention to who is lining up across from it. Arch Manning noted the personal dynamics that can come with former teammates facing each other, which only underscores how much this game can stretch beyond the scoreboard. For Texas, the rivalry now carries a little extra locker-room history, and the Longhorns will see exactly how that plays once the teams take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Could Get A Huge Red River Boost At Perfect Time
A bye week can be a handy reset in October, and Texas may be getting the timing just right with the Red River showdown looming. The Longhorns are heading into the Oklahoma game with several key pieces trending back toward full health, including senior running back Hollywood Smothers and sophomore tight end Nick Townsend, while junior defensive back Xaiver Filsaime is in line to make his season debut.
For a rivalry game that often comes down to depth as much as star power, that kind of reinforcements matters. Texas is still navigating the usual injury uncertainty this time of year, with several players from both sides listed as questionable or unavailable, but the Longhorns at least appear to be moving in the right direction at the perfect moment. [Read more 🡒]