New-Look Texas vs. Oklahoma Rivalry Among Top Storylines for 2025 Season

To describe the Red River Rivalry's updated look, ESPN writer Dave Wilson writes:

"The Red River Reboot is afoot. Quinn Ewers is gone after three years as Texas' starter, giving way to Arch Manning, the Heisman favorite who has two starts and 28 career pass attempts under his belt. Meanwhile, at Oklahoma, the Sooners have imported an offense under new coordinator Ben Arbuckle and junior quarterback John Mateer, who arrived from Washington State, along with Cal running back transfer Jaydn Ott."

"The Longhorns, coming off two straight College Football Playoff semifinal appearances, lost star receivers Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and tight end Gunnar Helm. The Sooners, meanwhile, are replacing Nic Anderson, Brenen Thompson and tight end Bauer Sharpwhile trying to bounce back from a 6-7 season and the departure of former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold to Auburn."

The new quarterback matchup is the biggest development to consider. In the article, Arch Manning is placed at No. 2 on early Heisman contenders and John Mateer at No. 9. He is also listed as the top transfer to watch. As talented playcallers with lofty expectations, Manning and Mateer will play key roles in their teams' success this season.

As Wilson discussed, the personnel shift doesn't end there. According to 247Sports, Texas has the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation alongside the No. 24 transfer class coming to Austin. Oklahoma has the No. 17 recruiting and No. 12 transfer class heading to Norman. There will be a lot of players making their first appearances or starts in the heated showdown.

As a neutral-site clash, the Red River Rivalry serves as more than a regular season game for both sides, the environment giving a hint of postseason-like importance for everyone present. This year's edition will again be each team's second SEC game of the season.

Texas leads the all-time series 64-51-5. However, since 2000, the Longhorns are 9-16 against the Sooners, who have had two four-game win streaks in that span. Texas has not won two straight since the 2008 and 2009 matchups. The Longhorns will look to break that trend this season.