Red River Rivalry Score Predictions: Can Texas Turn It Around Against OU?

The Red River Rivalry game is almost here, and the Longhorns on SI staff have delivered their predictions for the game.

With John Mateer's status updated to probable, the Longhorns could face tough competition in Dallas on Saturday.

Henry Hipschman

If quarterback John Mateer plays, the Longhorns have a tough game ahead of them, facing one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. Texas's defense may have its work cut out for them, but this could be the game that Arch Manning comes alive and plays to the expectations he was delivered before the start of the season. It may be a close contest, but a struggling Longhorns team could definitely come out on top.

Final Score: Texas 28, Oklahoma 21

Aaron Raley

The Red River Rivalry is upon us, and what a change of events the week has brought. The Longhorns will look to redeem their loss to the Florida Gators last week at The Swamp, while the Sooners are hoping that good news continues to pop up concerning starting quarterback John Mateer, who, despite injuring his throwing hand a few weeks ago, could be under center for Brent Venables after all. Whether Mateer starts or Michael Hawkins Jr. does, a win for the Longhorns will not come easy, as Oklahoma's defense has stepped up to the task in 2025, and as Texas's offense continues to fluctuate week in and week out, that doesn't give me a whole lot of hope for Texas to take their second straight win over their rivals. Either way, I expect a much closer game than the 34-3 slugfest from last year.

Final score: Oklahoma 28, Texas 21

Payton Blalock

I think John Mateer will play, but won’t be quite as sharp as he has been coming off this injury. I see Texas’ defense having a strong performance at the Cotton Bowl, and I think Texas’ receiver core will do a better job of stretching the Sooners’ defense than they did the Gators.

Final score: Texas 21, Oklahoma 17

Jon Alfano

It’s really tough to have much confidence in the Longhorns with how poor their offense has looked throughout the early part of the season, with the offensive line in particular looking incredibly rough. The Sooners also have one of the best defenses in all of college football, so that side looks like a total mismatch. John Mateer being limited/out for this game provides a slight glimmer of hope for the Longhorns, but not much beyond that.

Final score: Oklahoma 21, Texas 14

Tyler Firtel

Coming off a frustrating defeat in the Swamp, Texas will need to have its best on Saturday to get back into the win column. Whether or not John Mateer plays, the Longhorns will have their hands full dealing with Brett Venables' Oklahoma team that boasts one of the most dominant defenses in college football so far. In rivalry matchups, such as there will be at the Cotton Bowl, whoever starts with the momentum has a real hand up as the game moves on. I think the Longhorns use last week's first quarter as a learning moment and find ways to get on the board early. Playing with the lead, Texas looks like a totally different team than it did last week. The Longhorns get their first signature win of 2025.

Final score: Texas 27, Oklahoma 21

Isabella Capuchino

I think if Mateer returns, then Oklahoma takes this game, but it won’t be the blowout win that some may expect. While I think the Longhorns are hungry for the win, with what they have shown this season, especially in week 6 against Florida, I think they’re going to need more time to develop. However, I think seeing two top defenses go head-to-head on Saturday, it’ll be a relatively low-scoring and close game nonetheless.

Final score: Oklahoma 24, Texas 21

Ylver Deleon-Rios

It’s Red River Rivalry, one of the Longhorns' biggest games every year. Heading into the matchup, Texas desperately needs a bounce-back game to bring life back into their postseason hopes. However, the task won’t be easy, taking on the Sooners who come in as the No. 6 team in the country. Quarterback John Mateer is trending towards likely playing, making the matchup much more difficult. The Longhorns have plenty they need to fix, and I believe it will be too much to correct in just a week. I think Texas falls in a close one.

Final score: Oklahoma 24, Texas 21