There's no line up yet, so the matchup has to carry the preview. That matchup starts with a Texas defensive front that just wrecked a game. Colin Simmons had 5 sacks at Neyland, tying the program's single-game record, and Texas finished with 10 as a team. Now that front gets a quarterback who just gave the ball away 3 times in 1 quarter. If Oklahoma can't protect Mateer, it's hard to see how the Sooners stay in this.
Texas' record is spotless, and the margins aren't. The Longhorns beat Ohio State 24-23 and got out of Knoxville 20-17. Tennessee scored a touchdown with 1:22 left, recovered the onside kick and got a Hail Mary off before it was batted away. Raleek Brown's 4-yard fourth-quarter score was the only reason Texas had any breathing room. Against good teams, this offense has been grinding out wins and letting the defense close.
Oklahoma's problem is scoring. Outside the 51-0 opener against UTEP, the Sooners have put up 10 at Michigan, 14 against New Mexico and 13 at Georgia. They've already lost receiver T. Harris to a back injury with no timetable to return. Linebacker K. Lewis has been listed questionable with a knee. That's a thin offense running into the front that just sacked Tennessee 10 times.
Here's the case for Oklahoma. Texas hasn't been able to pull away from anyone with a pulse, and a neutral-site rivalry game is exactly where a low-scoring, turnover-driven upset happens. For that, Mateer has to look nothing like he did in Athens. If he looks the same, Simmons and the Texas front should decide this one early.