Red River Rivalry Could Provide a Playoff Quarterfinal in October

The Red River rivalry has been pretty evenly matched over the past few years. The Sooners and Longhorns have produced some exciting matchups, including a 48-45 thriller last year that saw Texas come out on top.

The two schools even met in the Big 12 Championship in 2018, and though it wasn't as competitive as their midseason contest, it showed us that the two teams could give us their own little playoff quarterfinal when they meet up in October.

This does not come as much as a surprise. Sooners and Longhorns picked 1-2 in Big 12 preseason poll. #HookEm https://t.co/NfaaaxUtvv
— Matt Meusel (@MattMeusel) July 10, 2019

Both the Sooners and the Longhorns are heading into the college football season with high expectations. The Sooners will look to make it over the semifinal hump after losing in the first round of the College Football Playoffs two years in a row.

The Longhorns, on the other hand, will try to truly make their mark on the Big 12 for the first time since divisions were eliminated. In particular, big things are expected of junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

Oklahoma definitely has the upper hand name-wise, considering they've finished no lower than fifth in each of the last four years and will be importing Jalen Hurts as their latest QB talent, but that won't be enough to deter Texas.

Includes Texas: "The FPI also isn’t sold on Texas, despite the Longhorns coming into the 2019 season with a ton of hype. Texas is “not back,” says the FPI, as the Longhorns are barely a top 25 team per the model."https://t.co/xjmAX7N873
— SoonerSage (@Sooner_Sage) July 14, 2019

For the Sooners, this year marks a chance to wrap up unfinished business. For the Longhorns, it's all about finding their way back to being an elite program.

With strong seasons from both sides of the Red River, the October showdown could end up not only deciding things in the Big 12, but for the College Football Playoff as well.