There have been a number of times in the history of the Red River Rivalry that either the Texas Longhorns or the Oklahoma Sooners have been dominant over the other. However, it's been a good long while since there was legitimately a coach on the hot seat like we have heading into this one on Saturday.
WHEN THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS HAVE THE BALL
This could very well be the best team which Bob Stoops has had at Oklahoma in quite some time. Baker Mayfield looks like he might be a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate, and we all know that Samaje Perine is one of the most talented backs in America.
The big play is what the Longhorns really have to look out for. You know the shots down the field are coming from Oklahoma. The Sooners are going to want to put their stamp on this game early on, and after a game in which Mayfield threw for 320 yards on just 14 completions against West Virginia, we know that they are quite capable, too.
Last season, the Sooners scored on a 91-yard kick return for a touchdown and a pick six to help beat the Longhorns, but you just know that holding this offense under 300 yards isn't going to happen again.
Texas has already fallen victim to four touchdown plays of 40+ yards this year, two of which came last week against TCU. Live bettors should know that the big bombs are coming, and we doubt the Horns are going to have any answers for them.
WHEN THE TEXAS LONGHORNS HAVE THE BALL
Before we get into the Texas offense, let's start with its special teams. Seriously, what's going on in Austin? Nick Rose is 3-for-6 in field goal attempts outside of 30 yards this year, and he missed an extra point at the most crucial moment against Cal. The punt team has now had one blocked and has averaged a net punt of just beyond 35 yards this year.
But let's get to the offense now. This team has four non-offensive touchdowns this year, proving that that average of 24.6 points per game is a crock. The offense has just 12 touchdowns in 2015 through five games, and that isn't going to cut it.
Sure, the Sooners have had their lapses at times defensively, but they are going to stay aggressive and probably end up making some big plays as a result. Jerrod Heard has been the significantly better of these two UT quarterbacks this year, but he also has been responsible for four turnovers, which is only going to make life tough on the Longhorns if he can't keep track of the pill.
TREND TO TRACK
Live bettors should remember that this tends to be a streaky series for covering purposes. The Longhorns covered this game in four consecutive seasons from 2005 through 2008. After a push in 2009, the Sooners went 3-0 SU and ATS against Texas from 2010-2012.
Now, the Longhorns have two straight covers and seem poised for a third if Charlie Strong wants to keep his job.
Texas got beat in this game last season 31-26, but considering the fact that it was +16.5, it ended up with a relatively easy cover. The spread in this one is large once again, though five of the last eight meetings have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
BookMaker opened the spread for this Saturday game at -15.5 in favor of the Oklahoma Sooners. Minute-by-minute NCAAF spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on your television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will go down Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. ET at the Cotton Bowl. The matchup will be televised on ABC.
