JD PicKell: Predicting the final score of Texas vs. Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry

The historic Red River Rivalry may not pack the same punch it normally does in terms of national relevance, given the uncharacteristic start to the season for both Texas and Oklahoma, and also the injuries both programs have sustained at quarterback. But nonetheless, Sooner and Longhorn fans are itching to see their respective teams take down the other to claim bragging rights for the next 365 days. No matter the stakes or quality of the teams in a given year, rivalries always light a fire.

This year, the game got an 11 a.m. kickoff time in Norman. Fire up those tailgates nice and early, folks. Though Sooner fans had the wind taken out of their sails this week with the news that Oklahoma will likely be without its starting quarterback. Meanwhile, Texas is in the opposite boat, likely getting their starter back just in time for the rivalry matchup after he missed several weeks.

How much does this quarterback drama affect the outcome of the game? Allow On3’s JD PicKell to examine the situations for both teams, which he did on the On3 YouTube channel as part of a video previewing the game. PicKell offered up his thoughts on the potential absence of one quarterback and the return of the other while predicting who comes out on top this weekend.

Check out his full breakdown of the game in this video, or you can read his final prediction below.

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JD PicKell predicts the Red River Rivalry

“When it comes down to our prediction for this game, it’s unfortunate, but I think Oklahoma is just in a really rough spot right now. No Dillon Gabriel likely is a very big deal. You got guys like Jovantae Barnes, Eric Gray, they’ve toted the rock well for you.

“But at the end of the day, if Quinn Ewers is back in this game, and we fully believe that he will be, Texas should be able to score in bunches. If Texas scores in bunches, that puts pressure on Oklahoma to respond with their offense. No knock on Jeff Lebby and no knock on what they have there under the cover at quarterback, but I don’t think it’s enough to score with Texas.

“So at the end of the day, we think that there is a little bit of fight early from this Oklahoma team. But at the end of the day, Oklahoma doesn’t have the firepower to match Texas. Texas wins this game 31-17.”