Texas Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2020

HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns prepares to lead the team onto the field before the game against the Rice Owls at NRG Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns prepares to lead the team onto the field before the game against the Rice Owls at NRG Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

The Sooners have just completed perhaps the greatest three-year period in quarterback play in the history of college football. Baker Mayfield brought home a Heisman Trophy, and then Kyler Murray did the same.

Last year, while Jalen Hurts may not have gotten to New York, his 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air, along with 1,000-plus rushing yards and another 20 touchdowns on the ground, continued the trend of great quarterbacking.

Now, it’s Spencer Rattler that is expected to run the Sooner offense. There’s a strong case to be made for excitement with Rattler, but this is still a new situation for Oklahoma under Riley. Mayfield was experienced, Murray was experienced, and Hurts had already led a team to a national championship in his previous stint at Alabama. Riley’s quarterback chops are unquestioned, but developing his youngest passer yet into a star will only cement the young coach’s guru status.

The Sooners have owned the Red River Shootout in recent years, winning four of the last five matchups in the rivalry. That note is only made tougher for Texas when you consider that the lone Longhorn win during that stretch was ultimately negated by an Oklahoma victory when the two met later that year in the Big 12 Championship Game.

It is Texas, in a rare occurrence, that has a distinct advantage in this rivalry right now. Not only is Riley being tasked with replacing yet another great quarterback, but also CeeDee Lamb, who was not only the best after-the-catch receiver in the nation in 2019, but perhaps the country’s most entertaining player. The Sooner defense hasn’t shown signs that it will step up either.

This is a tremendous opportunity for Tom Herman. A win here would serve several purposes. The Longhorns would have firmly rebalanced this rivalry, and he would have gained much of the good will that an 8-5 finish erased a year ago.

Prediction: Texas 45, Oklahoma 38 (5-0, 2-0)