The Oklahoma Sooners are heading to Dallas, Tex., this weekend to take on the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. This rivalry is one of the best, if not the best, in college sports.
This one has tons of implications. A win for Texas will keep its hot start as it hopes to end a two-decade national championship drought. A win for Oklahoma could right the ship after a struggling start to the season. The Sooners sit at 2-2 and have fallen out of the top 25 after starting the season ranked No. 10.
Head coach Brent Venables recognized the challenge that Texas presents, but said his players are looking forward to the opportunity.
"It's going to be a great, great challenge for our guys," Venables said. "Our guys are excited to have an opportunity
to go back out and compete. And have an opportunity to go eight straight here, starting with Texas this week. A wonderful opportunity. A big challenge. But a wonderful opportunity for our guys to get to playing our best football. We haven't done that up to this point in time."
Venables' message sets the tone for what Oklahoma needs to do in Dallas: embrace the challenge rather than dwell on the disappointing start. The Sooners have not played their best football through four games, but Saturday gives them a chance to change that against the No. 1 team in the country.
A win over Texas would do far more than improve Oklahoma's record. It would restore confidence, give the Sooners a signature win and potentially become the turning point of the season. If Oklahoma can put together its most complete performance of 2026, the Sooners could leave Dallas with a completely different outlook for the final stretch of the season.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables calls Texas a major test for Oklahoma
