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Can Texas rebound against Oklahoma?

As your weekly college football hype man, it pains me to share my slight disappointment that the Red River Rivalry isn’t as exciting as it could have been. Had the Texas offensive line been better and John Mateer not gotten hurt, we could have been blessed with an all-time classic shootout. Instead, we’ll get a defensive fist fight, which can still be entertaining.

Oklahoma has been riding high this season with a newfound defensive identity. Brent Venables is doing a tremendous job of unleashing the potential of his defense on opponents. While their star Mateer has expressed a desire to play, they’ll probably have to ride with Michael Hawkins Jr. commanding the offense.

Texas is currently reeling after its loss to Florida, and its flaws have been revealed. Arch Manning needs a bounce-back performance, but to his dismay, he’ll have to attempt to find a rhythm against an elite defense.

For one of the most intense rivalries in all of college football, the A to Z Sports college football staff shared their predictions for what will happen in this game.

“These are two top-flight defenses squaring off this week in a matchup very reminiscent of the early 2000s heavyweight battles between Bob Stoops and Mack Brown. Last week, Florida’s defensive line absolutely dominated the Longhorns and created havoc all game. I’m expecting something similar, and perhaps better, from Oklahoma’s defensive line, which has been the best in the country this season and a key reason why the Sooners are atop virtually every defensive metric.” —AJ Schulte

“The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t had the most successful offense so far this season, despite John Mateer being one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Against Kent State last week, they couldn’t even crack 200 rushing yards, and haven’t been able to get the running game going this year. And, they probably won’t be against Texas. Texas has a great defense, one of the better defenses in the country – Oklahoma’s is better. Oklahoma’s offense has been average – Texas’ offense is bad. Give me the Sooners in this one, but a close game that’s low-scoring.” —Justin Churchill

“This is not a good Texas team … The big problem was the offensive line, and it’s not going to get better in the Red River shootout with Brent Venables’ No. 1 defense in the country. R Mason Thomas is primed to make Manning’s life worse in his first Red River start, but the key is going to be John Mateer. If he plays, this game feels relatively over before it starts. If he doesn’t, it’ll be closer, but the Sooners are too good across the board.” —Tyler Forness

This matchup is intriguing to project because of the similarities they have. Both of these squads are dealing with offensive line issues, and both have elite defensive talent. This game is going to come down to which defense takes over the most.

Ultimately, based on how Texas’s offensive line performed against Florida in their loss last week, they will have even more trouble against the Sooners. Manning had no time to throw and was constantly contacted on every dropback. R Mason Thomas and his linemates will be teeing off on Manning and will easily stymie their run game. While this is a considerable challenge for Hawkins Jr., who struggled in this game a year ago, I believe they’ll be able to do just enough to survive a close battle.

Will Florida build momentum against Texas A&M?

Billy Napier loves to get everyone to doubt him before he starts climbing back. Last week’s victory for Florida may be the beginning of yet another turnaround for the Gators. They finally looked like the team everyone expected in the preseason, with DJ Lagway connecting with Dallas Wilson for huge plays and their defensive line smothering quarterbacks.

Now they’ll be rechallenged, this time on the road against one of the hottest teams in college football. Texas A&M has found multiple ways to win on offense and on defense this season, regardless of their opponent. They survived a shootout with Notre Dame, they outlasted Auburn in battle in the trenches, and they overwhelmed Mississippi State at the line of scrimmage.

The Aggies and Gators are aiming to prove their legitimacy this week in a packed college football slate. Our college football staff at A to Z Sports shared their predictions for how they foresee this game unfolding.

“The Gators got their groove back on Saturday when they dominated the Texas Longhorns at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football, including generating 35 pressures on just 44 Texas dropbacks … However, the Aggies have been on their own heater. They beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend earlier this season and just made mincemeat of the Auburn Tigers. The defense has been inconsistent, but much improved against the run in recent weeks. The key will be in the trenches. Who can create the most havoc on the interior? After what we saw last weekend, the Gators get the edge here, and Billy Napier’s first-ranked win on the road as the head coach of Florida.” —Tyler Forness

“Off to a very fast start in 2025, the Texas A&M Aggies are set to welcome the Florida Gators to Kyle Field on Saturday night. It’s a tough place to play, especially when Mike Elko’s squad is playing good football. They are led by an improved offense that can create some explosive plays with wide receivers Kevin Concepcion and Mario Craver. At their core, the Aggies want to run the football with Le’Veon Moss, and allow quarterback Marcel Reed to make plays off of it.” —Ryan Roberts

“If we look at Texas A&M’s season-long defensive metrics, the Aggies don’t look like a scary matchup for a Florida team finally finding its footing after a huge win over Texas. However, since installing several layers to their defense on the bye week, the Aggies have been immovable, impenetrable on defense. The Aggies have allowed just one third-down conversion on opponents’ last 25 attempts. They’re giving up less than 200 total yards of offense per game. They held Auburn & Mississippi State to just 2.3 yards per carry. The defense is on fire.” —Travis May

I stand with both Roberts and May for this matchup. While the yearly Florida resurgence under Billy Napier has become a fun storyline, it won’t apply this week. The most critical piece to this game is that last year’s significant victories for the Gators and the previous week’s upset over Texas were played in The Swamp. They have a daunting road environment that sparked the wins. This week, they have to travel to Kyle Field, and DJ Lagway has struggled on the road.

Additionally, the swinging point for Texas A&M will be its offensive line. They’re one of the best units in all of college football and won’t have the same issues as Texas did a week ago. Florida benefited signficantly from the atrocious offensive line play of Texas. The Aggies will control the pace and outlast the Gators in what is likely to be a close game.

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