Allstate was announced Monday as the new title sponsor of the Texas-Oklahoma football matchup played every year at the Cotton Bowl amid the Texas State Fair in Dallas.
And with it comes the return of the “Red River Rivalry” nickname for the game, ditching the unpopular “Red River Showdown” used since 2014. The game was long known as the Red River Shootout before being changed to the Red River Rivalry in 2005.
The committee’s considerations include conference titles, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, and similar opponents.
If that’s the case, Texas has no justification for being ranked lower than Oregon. You could make a similar argument for Ohio State and the Longhorns. This week, Texas stays at No. 7, as the committee ranked Ohio State and Oregon, both of which have one defeat, ahead of it.
The rivalry dates to 1900 and this year’s meeting on Oct. 7 will be the 119th matchup between the Longhorns and Sooners. It will be the last for both schools as members of the Big 12. Texas and Oklahoma move to the Southeastern Conference starting in 2024.
This year’s Allstate Red River Rivalry will be broadcast on ABC. Texas lead the series 63-50-5.
“Our annual, iconic matchup with the Longhorns each October features more than a century of tradition between our two programs, so it’s fitting that we revive the ‘Rivalry’ name,” Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione said.
The Longhorns landed several talented playmakers on the offensive side of the ball: Quinn Ewers, Isaiah Neyor, Jahleel Billingsley, Agiye Hall and Tarique Milton. On the defensive side, Texas snagged Ryan Watts and Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey at positions of need.
There’s still a path for Texas to reach the College Football Playoff, but it will need to dominate No. 18 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game and hope for chaos elsewhere. The most likely scenario for the Longhorns to sneak in is for Louisville to defeat Florida State, but that’s not a given.
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