Joel Klatt drops his Oklahoma football vs. Texas prediction

Oklahoma enters the 120th edition of the Red River Showdown as a big underdog. The first SEC matchup features the No. 1 Texas Longhorns and the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners.

Texas appears to be the best team in the country and has gone 5-0 in its last two games even without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Oklahoma struggled to get to 4-1, which is why most people don't give the Sooners a chance in this game.

Joel Klatt of Fox Sports and the “Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast” shared his thoughts on OU-Texas this week and questions about the Sooners' offense heading into the Top 25 matchup.

“Here’s my question for this game,” Klatt said. “Will Oklahoma’s offense even be able to keep up? The answer to that is no. Texas' defense is way too good. So OU isn’t going to be able to just go out and score a ton of points.”

The Oklahoma Sooners offense has been inconsistent through five games. They've made big plays and are 4-1, but they haven't been able to sustain the attacks with much regularity. Klatt continued to talk about the Sooners' defense and praised them for their performance this year, but ultimately it comes down to OU's offense.

“I know the Sooners’ defense is fourth in the country,” Klatt said. “We’re talking about Steve Sarkisian and Texas. They will burst into flames. He always has a great game plan for these big games and I believe Texas can move the football and score some points. I don't trust Oklahoma to do the same. This is not a crime I trust. The defense is very good, fourth in the country. Offense, no, 121st in the country in total offense and they face a defense in Texas that has allowed three touchdowns in five games.”

But it's that final statement that makes me curious.

Klatt said, “You won’t be able to impress Texas the way you did against Auburn.”

Klatt mentioned that the Sooners forced three turnovers in last year's game. Quinn Ewers threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball, there were big moments in the game. The Longhorns have had their turnover issues this season, averaging 1.4 giveaways per game. Oklahoma's defense is averaging 2.6 takeaways this season.

The Sooners only forced one turnover against Auburn, but it was the biggest play of the game, a pick-six by Kip Lewis.

You can't rely on turnovers becoming a factor in a football game. There are ebbs and flows. A defense cannot try to force anything either. What has made Oklahoma's defense so good is their ability to play solid defensive football. If they continue to do that, they could put Texas in some bad spots.

But Klatt isn't gone. The offense needs to make a big step in this game for the Sooners to win the football game. But they don't have to score 40 points to win. The Sooners' defense should be able to keep the Texas offense in the 20s, which will give OU a chance.

Michael Hawkins Jr. has now completed three full weeks in the first-team offense. The offensive line is the healthiest it has been all year. If there's any concern beyond that, it's another week without Deion Burks. If he can continue his previous play and improve the Sooners' passing attack, OU should do a better job of moving the ball forward.

So what was Klatt's final prediction for OU-Texas? “I like Texas in this game. Texas 34-17,” Klatt said.

We'll find out tomorrow afternoon in the biggest rivalry game in college football.

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