Oklahoma @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 8, 2016 ) Texas 40, Oklahoma 45

With an impressive road win at Ohio State and a 14-game winning streak in its hip pocket, No. 12 Oklahoma looked well on its way to a berth in the College Football Playoff before a stunning 38-31 home loss last Saturday to 31 1/2 -point underdog Iowa State. Now the Sooners have to quickly refocus for Saturday's annual Red River Showdown with Texas at the Cotton Bowl.

The Longhorns, not the Sooners, come into this one atop the Big 12 standings along with TCU at 2-0 following a wild 40-34 double overtime victory over Kansas State. But Oklahoma needs only to look back to 2015 when it was, ironically, upset by the Longhorns (24-17) to know that there is still a lot of football left to be played before the four teams for the College Football Playoff are selected. Oklahoma rebounded to win seven straight before falling to Clemson in the CFP that season. "If you look at the big picture, we're still in it," quarterback Baker Mayfield said. "We have 2015 to show for that. For us, it's not even about that right now. We've got to take care of business and win the Big 12."

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Oklahoma -7.5

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (4-1, 1-1 Big 12): Mayfield, who leads the nation in completion percentage (74.6), passing efficiency rating (214.1) and passing yards per attempt (12.2), will be making a rare fourth start in the Red River Showdown. He's 1-2, leading the Sooners to a 45-40 victory last year, but he has put up very pedestrian numbers (66-of-103, 838 yards, 4 TDs, 3 interceptions) in those three starts and he could be without top big-play threat, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who injured his left shoulder diving for a touchdown against Iowa State. The big question is can defensive coordinator Mike Stoops find a way to fix a defense that has allowed an average of 486 yards and 39.5 points over its last two games against Baylor and Iowa State?

ABOUT TEXAS (3-2, 2-0): The Longhorns have bounced back from an embarrassing 51-41 season-opening home loss to Maryland to win three of their last four games with the lone defeat coming at No. 13 USC, 27-24, in double overtime. Head coach Tom Herman was coy about who his starting quarterback would be after sophomore starter Shane Buechele missed the Kansas State victory with a sprained ankle but freshman Sam Ehlinger, who passed for 380 yards and rushed for 107 more Saturday, has proven to be a valuable backup. After allowing 51 points in the opening loss, the Longhorn defense has tightened up and allowed an average of 17 points over the last four games with junior safety DeShon Elliott (nation-best five interceptions) and linebacker Malik Jefferson (43 tackles) leading the way.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Herman and Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley will be making their head coaching debuts in the Red River Showdown, marking the first time since 1947 -- when Blair Cherry's Longhorns beat Bud Wilkinson's Sooners, 34-14 -- that the rivalry has featured new coaches on both sidelines.

2. Texas holds a 61-45-5 lead in the series, which began in 1900 and has been played at the Texas State Fair annually since 1929.

3. Oklahoma has scored at least 30 points in a school-record 15 consecutive games.

PREDICTION: Texas 27, Oklahoma 24