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By STEPHEN HAWKINS | AP Sports Writer
The Red River rivalry game between third-ranked Texas and 12th-ranked Oklahoma matches the Big 12’s only undefeated and only ranked teams.
It is their last meeting as part of the Big 12, at least in the regular season.
They could play in the Big 12 championship game in December before moving to the Southeastern Conference next year.
For now, the focus is on their annual game in the middle of the State Fair of Texas in the league’s highlight game this weekend.
Both teams are 5-0, marking the first time since 2011 both are undefeated for their game.
Things to watch in the Big 12 Conference in Week 6:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 3 Texas (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0), at the State Fair of Texas.
Their final Red River rivalry game as part of the Big 12 — well, at least in the regular season — matches the conference’s only remaining undefeated teams and only ranked teams.
While the Longhorns and Sooners could meet again in the Big 12 championship game in December before moving to the Southeastern Conference next year, the focus now is on their annual showdown at Cotton Bowl Stadium.
This is the 31st time in the 119-game rivalry with both teams undefeated, but the first since 2011. Texas last started 5-0 in 2009, when they won their last Big 12 championship and then lost the national championship game. Oklahoma has held its first five opponents to 20 points or less for the first time since 2000, the season they were national champions after winning the first of their record 14 Big 12 titles.
Last year’s game was the first since 1998 with neither team ranked, and Texas won 49-0 to hand the Sooners their most-lopsided shutout loss ever. The Sooners are 9-4 since, with each of those losses by three points.
BEST MATCHUP
Texas Tech at Baylor. A matchup of 2-3 teams, but both are coming off victories and Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire is returning to Waco for his first game there since the middle of the 2021 season. McGuire was in his fifth season as a Baylor assistant when he was named head coach of the Red Raiders. He moved to Lubbock that November, but didn’t take over on-field duties until after that season, so didn’t attend the 2021 regular-season finale when Tech lost 27-24 in Waco. His first home loss with the Red Raiders was 45-17 to Baylor last October 29.
The Bears last week had a record comeback, scoring 29 consecutive points to win 36-35 at UCF. Texas Tech won 49-28 at home over Houston in a game that was tied at 7, 14, 21 and 28 before the Red Raiders went ahead to stay.
IMPACT PLAYER
Kansas State quarterback Will Howard has passed for at least 250 yards in each of the first four games, the longest in-season streak ever for a Wildcats quarterback. Howard tied a school record with four TD passes last year in a 48-0 win at home against Oklahoma State, where K-State plays Friday night. His 296 yards in that game were a career high until 297 in this year’s opener against Southeast Missouri State. The Cowboys (2-2, 0-1) this season are 11th in the Big 12 in pass defense (233.8 yards per game).
TOUGH BEGINNINGS
The league’s four newcomers are a combined 1-7 in Big 12 games, with the lone win being BYU’s 35-28 win over Cincinnati last week. That put BYU at 1-1 in conference play, with the Bearcats, Houston and UCF all 0-2. BYU, Cincinnati and Houston have open dates this weekend, and UCF (3-2) plays at Kansas (4-1, 1-1).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
TCU will look to extend its road winning streak to eight games Saturday at Iowa State (2-3, 1-1). The Horned Frogs (3-2, 1-1) had won their first 10 Big 12 regular-season games under coach Sonny Dykes before their home loss to Iowa State last weekend. … West Virginia blocked two field goals in its win at TCU, marking the first time since 2000 against Miami with two blocks in the same game.
