Oklahoma Football Rivalry Week: OU-Texas, OSU-UCF Saturday
Oklahoma Football Rivalry Week Brings Texas Showdown and Oklahoma State Big 12 Home Game
Rivalry week has arrived in Oklahoma, with both of the state's major college football programs facing important games Saturday, October 10. Oklahoma heads to the Cotton Bowl for the 122nd Red River Rivalry against No. 1 Texas, while No. 19 Oklahoma State returns to Boone Pickens Stadium looking to remain unbeaten in Big 12 play against UCF.
The Oklahoma football rivalry week schedule begins at 11 a.m. in Stillwater with Oklahoma State and UCF on ESPN2 before attention shifts south to Dallas, where the Sooners and Longhorns kick off at 2:30 p.m. on ABC. The two Oklahoma programs enter the weekend in very different positions, with the Cowboys riding momentum after a road conference victory and the Sooners trying to rebound from a difficult loss at Georgia.
Oklahoma Football Rivalry Week Sends Sooners to Cotton Bowl Against No. 1 Texas
Oklahoma enters the Red River Rivalry at 2-2 after using its bye week to regroup following a 41-13 loss at Georgia.
Texas arrives at 4-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country, making Saturday one of Oklahoma's most difficult games of the season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, with ABC carrying the national broadcast.
The matchup will be the 122nd meeting between Oklahoma and Texas, continuing a rivalry that dates to 1900. The Sooners' official 2026 football schedule lists the neutral-site matchup as OU's first game following its open week.
Much of Oklahoma's attention will be on quarterback John Mateer.
Coach Brent Venables reaffirmed during the bye week that Mateer remains OU's starting quarterback despite a difficult three-game stretch in which he has thrown four interceptions and lost two fumbles.
Three of those turnovers came during the first half against Georgia.
Oklahoma trailed only 14-13 at halftime in Athens, but repeated turnovers helped Georgia pull away. The Sooners eventually finished with four giveaways in the 41-13 loss.
Venables used the bye week to give backup quarterbacks Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley additional repetitions but made clear that Mateer remains QB1 heading into Dallas.
The Sooners will also need more production from their running game.
Oklahoma managed only 65 rushing yards on 35 carries against Georgia, putting additional pressure on Mateer and the passing offense. Establishing the run Saturday could help OU control possession and keep Texas quarterback Arch Manning and the Longhorn offense off the field.
Texas opened as an 8.5-point favorite, with an early over-under of 39.5 points.
Betting lines can change throughout the week and do not determine the outcome, but the spread reflects the contrast between an unbeaten No. 1 Texas team and an Oklahoma squad trying to stabilize its season.
No. 19 Oklahoma State Returns Home With Momentum Against UCF
Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game moving in the opposite direction.
The Cowboys are 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 after beating West Virginia 41-24 in Morgantown.
That victory pushed Oklahoma State back into the national rankings, with the Cowboys reaching No. 19 in the AP Top 25.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker delivered one of his best performances of the season against West Virginia, completing 20 of 27 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns.
Wide receiver Wyatt Young caught eight passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Caleb Hawkins added 180 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Oklahoma State finished with 609 yards of total offense, including 359 after halftime, as the Cowboys turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 17-point victory.
The Cowboys' official West Virginia recap also marked a significant breakthrough in conference play, ending an 18-game Big 12 losing streak and giving head coach Eric Morris his first conference victory at Oklahoma State.
Now the challenge is sustaining that momentum.
UCF comes to Stillwater at 3-1 after losing to Houston despite holding a 17-point lead.
The Knights finished with 332 yards of offense in that game and will need a stronger performance to keep pace if Oklahoma State's offense continues producing explosive plays.
Oklahoma State opened as a 10-point favorite, with the early total set at 52.5 points.
Saturday's game is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Boone Pickens Stadium and will air on ESPN2.
Two Saturday Games Could Shape Seasons for Sooners and Cowboys
The stakes are different for Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but Saturday could be a defining day for both programs.
For OU, beating No. 1 Texas would immediately change the direction of a season that has slipped to 2-2.
The Red River Rivalry has also repeatedly demonstrated that rankings and records do not always predict what happens inside the Cotton Bowl.
The State Fair of Texas provides the setting for the annual neutral-site rivalry, with Oklahoma and Texas fans traditionally splitting the Cotton Bowl at midfield.
For Oklahoma State, the opportunity is less about recovering and more about building.
The Cowboys have climbed back into the Top 25, snapped their extended Big 12 losing streak and now return home with an opportunity to move to 2-0 in conference play.
Mestemaker's emergence has also changed the outlook for an Oklahoma State offense that now has multiple playmakers capable of producing explosive gains.
A victory over UCF would move the Cowboys to 4-1 and strengthen their position as the Big 12 schedule intensifies.
Oklahoma faces a very different possibility. A loss would send the Sooners to 2-3, while an upset of the nation's No. 1 team would provide Venables and his team with one of the biggest wins of his Oklahoma tenure.
By mid-afternoon Saturday, Oklahoma State's result should already be known as the Sooners and Longhorns take the field in Dallas.
Oklahoma football rivalry week gives fans a full Saturday of high-stakes football, beginning with No. 19 Oklahoma State hosting UCF at 11 a.m. on ESPN2 before Oklahoma meets No. 1 Texas in the 122nd Red River Rivalry at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
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