Oklahoma vs Texas Opening Odds – Longhorns 2.5-Point Favorites Over Sooners in Red River Showdown

• The 118th edition of the Red River Showdown kicks off on October 8th from the Cotton Bowl
• The opening odds favor the Longhorns, but will money come in on the Sooners as gameday approaches?
• Below, see the opening Oklahoma vs Texas odds, picks & expected line movement

Oklahoma and Texas renew one of college football’s greatest rivalries in week 5 of the 2022 college football season. The Red River Showdown kickoffs on Saturday, October 8th from the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma have opened as 3.5-point favorites.

Last year’s game was among the craziest moments of the 2021 college football season. If you recall, Sooners running back Kennedy Brooks ran for a 33-yard game-winning touchdown as time expired to give Oklahoma the 55-48 win.

Here we lay out the opening odds and analyze which direction the opening OU vs Texas point spread is likely to move.

Opening Oklahoma vs Texas Odds

Odds as of October 2nd at FanDuel Sportsbook. Claim a FanDuel Sportsbook promo code.

Oklahoma must have been looking ahead to this one for two weeks. The Sooners fell to Kansas State and TCU, respectively, in their last two games.  Texas opening as a small favorite in the Red River Showdown is no surprise as the Sooners’ defense has looked awful for consecutive weeks.

Boomer Sooner?

Oh, how quickly things have changed in Norman. After three successive victories to begin the Brett Venables era, Oklahoma has lost in consecutive weeks. First, the sixth-ranked Sooners were beaten by Kansas State after allowing the Wildcats to run roughshod all afternoon in Norman. Oklahoma followed that up with a stunning 55-24 defeat to TCU yesterday. Venables defense surrendered the most points in a game since losing 63-28 to LSU in 2019. Clearly, the Sooners have a lot of work to do before next week’s Red River Showdown.

One thing that clearly worked in the Horned Frogs’ favor is that their offensive coordinator is extremely knowledgeable on everything Oklahoma. TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is the brother of former Sooners coach Lincoln Riley.

TCU defender Jamoi Hodge was ejected for this hit on Dillon Gabriel

pic.twitter.com/jTeLoUetRV

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 1, 2022

To make matters worse, Oklahoma lost starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel to injury in the 2nd quarter versus TCU. Gabriel scrambled before being hit by TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge, who was ejected for targeting. Gabriel remained down for a few minutes before being able to stand and walk off the field. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game and his status for next week’s Red River Showdown is currently up in the air.

Hook Em

Texas got back in the win column last week versus a game West Virginia team. The Longhorns dominated through the air, with the victory accentuated by the stellar play of backup quarterback Hudson Card. Thrust into the starting role after the injury to Quinn Ewers, Card dominated the Mountaineers. The new Texas starter completed 21 passes for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns in a nearly unblemished performance.

HE STICKS IT 🙌 @XavierWorthy with the follow through for the touchdown! @TexasFootball pic.twitter.com/FG1CvYnAw6

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 2, 2022

Moreover, the Texas defense sacked Mountaineers QB JT Daniels three times and disrupted the West Virginia offense all night.

Keep an eye on the injury report this week, as Texas will be hoping starting quarterback Quinn Ewers can make his return for the Red River Showdown next Saturday.

OU vs Texas Expected Line Movement for 2022 Red River Showdown

The injury status of both starting quarterbacks will have a monumental effect on the lines for this year’s Red River Showdown. With the news that Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is ramping up his recovery for a return in this game, the line could shift further in Texas’ favor.

Although, the injury status of Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel could have the greatest effect on this spread. Should Gabriel be able to play, this line could swing drastically towards OU. Be sure to monitor the college football odds page to see the latest game updates.