Oklahoma vs. Texas Free College Football Picks for Week 6

One of the best rivalries in college football is renewed at a neutral site in Dallas on Saturday as No. 6 Oklahoma faces No. 21 Texas in Big 12 action.

Which way to lean at SBR’s top-rated sportsbooks? 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns

Saturday, October 09, 2021 - 12:00 PM EDT at Cotton Bowl  

As usual, the Red River Rivalry between No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 21 Texas is being held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas with a noon kickoff and shown by ABC. Half the stadium will be Sooners fans and half Longhorns fans. If you ever get a chance to attend this game even if you don’t care about either school, I highly recommend it.  

https://youtu.be/OPQRKrdvOL0

Big 12 officials better be rooting for Oklahoma here because I believe the Sooners are the only school in the league that has a shot to reach the College Football Playoff. Yes, Oklahoma State is also 5-0 overall and ranked 12th in the country, but I’m not buying the Cowboys. They always end up losing to Oklahoma anyways. To win the Big 12, Oklahoma is a -160 favorite at SBR’s top-rated sportsbooks with Texas at +250.  

https://twitter.com/OU_Football/status/1445044886474919941?s=20

Texas leads the all-time series 62-49-5, but in the Big 12 era, Oklahoma leads 16-10 and has won the past three. Last year, the Sooners were 3-point favorites on the NCAAF odds and won a wild one 53-45 in four overtimes. A whopping 36 combined points were scored in the OTs. Spencer Rattler threw for 209 yards and three scores for OU while rushing for a TD. Both teams had three turnovers and double-digit penalties. 

The underdog is 7-2 ATS in the past nine meetings. 

Sooners Lucky, Good or Both? 

Oklahoma (5-0) is pretty lucky to be unbeaten as it easily could have lost four of its five games – winning them each by seven points or fewer. The Sooners escaped at Kansas State this past Saturday, 37-31. It was the first road game for OU since announcing it would leave the Big 12 for the SEC, and the K-State fans were brutal. 

The Wildcats pulled within 37-31 on a 93-yard kickoff return TD with 1:20 left but then couldn’t recover the onside kick. Former Heisman Trophy favorite Spencer Rattler has had an uneven season but was quite good, completing 22 of 25 for 243 yards, two TDs, and a pick. He is now +1600 on the NCAAF futures odds for the Heisman. The Sooners didn’t punt once for the second time this year.  

https://twitter.com/OU_Football/status/1445132870767415309?s=20

Since the start of the 2012 season, Oklahoma is 44-8 in regular-season games away from home and has scored at least 30 points in 45 of those. Overall, OU has won 13 straight games, tied for the second-longest nationally. It’s the school’s longest run since winning 14 in a row in the 2016 and ’17 seasons. 

This will be the 12th time in the last 13 matchups that OU is ranked higher in the AP poll than Texas when they play. The Sooners are 15-7 against UT since the start of the 2000 season and have outscored the Longhorns by 182 points. 

Oklahoma is 1-4 ATS in its past five on the NCAAF odds. 

https://twitter.com/TexasFootball/status/1445083552698277901?s=20

Here’s to You Mr. Robinson! 

Texas (4-1) also had a close call on Saturday, winning 32-27 at TCU to stay unbeaten in Big 12 action – the lone loss came out of conference at Arkansas.  

The offense has really taken off since Casey Thompson replaced Hudson Card as the starting QB as the Horns are averaging 53.3 points in the past three. He was actually somewhat quiet against TCU in completing 12-for-22 for 142 yards, a TD, and a pick, but running back Bijan Robinson went nuts with 216 yards and two TDs on 35 carries. He is +2000 to win the Heisman at (visit our Sportsbook Review).

Robinson was first Texas running back to rush for more than 200 yards since D'Onta Foreman in 2016. The Longhorns are 7-0 when Robinson rushes for 100 yards or more. Texas is averaging 265.8 rushing yards per game to rank fifth in the nation and first in the Big 12. 

Bijan Robinson #5 of the Texas Longhorns. Tim Warner/Getty Images/AFP

Thompson is the first Texas quarterback to win his first three career starts since Garrett Gilbert in 2010. Dating to last season, Thompson has guided Texas to a score on 31 of the last 39 drives he has led, including 25 touchdowns. Steve Sarkisian is the first Texas head coach to win four of his first five games since Fred Akers started 4-0 in 1977. 

As for this matchup, the past eight meetings between the Longhorns and Sooners have been decided by eight points or less after 15 straight years in which the game was decided by at least two scores. The team that wins the turnover battle between Texas and OU is 13-6 since 2000. 

ESPN GameDay will be on hand Saturday. Texas is 10-7 all-time when the Horns are one of College GameDay’s featured matchups. I believe the UT ground game will be the difference. The Horns are 6-1 ATS in their past seven overall. 

NCAAF Pick:  (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.