Bound for the mighty Southeastern Conference (SEC) next year and sporting a 5-0 record for the first time since 2009, the No. 3 University of Texas (UT) Longhorns football team couldn’t be blamed for entering this week more excited than usual. UT and archrival No. 12 University of Oklahoma (UH) will play their 119th Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, but the matchup carries a lot of weight because the programs are departing the Big 12 Conference for college football’s most elite Power 5 conference.
"You know what week it is," the Longhorns said in an October 2nd post on X.
The Longhorns are determined to make it two consecutive victories over OU, who’s also undefeated in overall and conference play, after throttling the Sooners 49-0 last year. Austin Journal reported on Oct. 10, 2022, that then-redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers returned from injury to lead UT on the strength of a 289-yard, four-touchdown performance. Per Austin NBC affiliate KXAN News, Ewers, a Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) native, may go without one of his trusted weapons in tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who sustained an injury against the University of Kansas (KU).
TheSpun reported that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will be among the tens of thousands at the storied rivalry game to get a glimpse at his conference’s two newest schools before they officially their entrances next year. Sankey purportedly won’t stay the entire game as he’s slated to also visit College Station to watch Texas A&M University (TAMU) take on No. 11 University of Alabama. UT vanquished the Crimson Tide earlier this year while its addition to the SEC has stoked chatter about reviving the Longhorns’ dormant gridiron rivalry with the Aggies.
ESPN reported that the result of the last Red River Showdown for the Big 12 holds huge implications on the College Football Playoff (CFP), with the victor having a 70% shot of being among college football’s final four.