National championship hopes are floating in Saturday's 103rd edition of the Red River Rivalry, the annual Oklahoma-Texas shoot-out at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (airing on ABC Saturday, Oct. 11, at noon/ET). In both national polls the Sooners (5-0) are No. 1 and the Longhorns (5-0) are No. 5.
Perhaps more important than the game's BCS implications, pride is on the line. Both teams "really do feel like their season is ruined if they don't win this game," says ESPN's Ed Cunningham. The Sooners have so many offensive weapons, including quarterback Sam Bradford and running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray, that "I'm not sure anybody's ever going to stop them this season," Cunningham says. "But Texas will have the best chance of figuring out a way of slowing them down some."
Adding to the tension, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has stocked his roster with players from below the state line. "There's the inside joke that Oklahoma is really the University of Texas at Norman because they've gotten so many kids out of Texas," Cunningham says, "so I think there's a little bit of anger." As if any more motivation were needed. —Karen Rosen
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With a dozen bowl games on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, football fans should have plenty to celebrate.
Monday, Dec. 31Armed Forces Bowl (ESPN, 12:30 pm/ET): In a motivational mismatch, Air Force (with 31 Texas natives) flies into Fort Worth for its first bowl since 2002, while disappointing California picks up from a 1-6 finish. Chad Hall and DeSean Jackson are playmakers extraordinaire.
Humanitarian Bowl (ESPN2, 2 pm/ET): Former H-Bowl winners Fresno State and Georgia Tech return to Boise's blue turf. Two-time ACC rushing king Tashard Choice powers Tech, while return man A.J. Jefferson is the top Bulldog.
Sun Bowl (CBS, 2 pm/ET): Talk about the terrible twos. Oregon and South Florida were both ranked No. 2 this season, only to lose their next three games and land in this El Paso contest. USF can add to its NCAA-best 40 takeaways against a wounded Ducks offense.
Music City Bowl (ESPN, 4 pm/ET): Senior QB Andre
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