Let’s turn back the clock to 2005. Texas was fresh off a Rose Bowl appearance with highly touted returning quarterback Vince Young leading the charge. The Longhorns came into the year as a serious national championship contender with dreams of winning their first title in 35 years.
There was only one problem: Oklahoma and Bob Stoops had their dang number.
Granted, the Sooners were rebuilding in 2005. They lost two games early in the season. They were led by talented but unprepared underclassman quarterback Rhett Bomar. Those are just among several reasons Oklahoma entered the game as two-touchdown underdogs. Still, Texas was riding a five-game losing streak to those darn Sooners. Those losses included two blowouts (63-15 in 2000, 65-13 in 2003) and a 12-0 shutout over Young and Co. in 2004. No one in Burnt Orange at the Cotton Bowl felt safe.
This weekend, history repeats itself. No. 1 Texas is a 14.5-point favorite heading into the Red Rivalry Rivalry against No. 18 Oklahoma. The Longhorns are the nation’s top-ranked team heading into showdown for the first time since 1984. They are 2-7 against the Sooners since 2015, but just like 2005, they have an opportunity to flip the rivalry on its head.