No. 1 Texas blew a halftime lead and lost 27-24 to unranked Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, joining rare company among top-ranked teams that fell to unranked foes.
The Longhorns led 17-7 at the break. Then the second half went the other way. Unranked Oklahoma finished the job, improved to 3-2, and handed top-ranked Texas a loss that will cost the Longhorns the No. 1 spot.
Newsweek reported the final was Oklahoma 27, Texas 24 in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday. Texas entered the game ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. The Sooners were unranked.
Texas will no longer sit atop the rankings after this one. The collapse was straightforward: stalled drives, turnovers, and a second-half surge by Oklahoma.
Arch Manning threw two interceptions. One went back for a pick-six. Texas also punted four times. Those mistakes erased a double-digit halftime edge and gave Oklahoma the opening it needed.
The Longhorns had climbed fast. They opened the season ranked No. 5. On Sept. 12 they staged a comeback win over then-No. 1 Ohio State and rose to No. 1. On Sept. 26 they held off a late push from then-No. 14 Tennessee. Saturday’s result snapped that run.
Oklahoma’s recent path looked uneven. The Sooners lost 17-10 to Michigan, then beat New Mexico 14-6 and dropped out of the rankings. Against Texas they finished the comeback and left Dallas-area lore with a signature win, though the venue itself was not detailed in the available game account.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian did not soft-pedal the result. He said the problems his staff has been working on showed up against a quality opponent.
Via On3, Sarkisian said:
"There’s a level of anger and frustration because we know we have issues that need to be fixed, and we’re working on those issues and trying to get them fixed. But they reared their ugly head today against a quality team."
He also made clear the stakes for the College Football Playoff picture. Fix the issues or watch the resume take a hit. That is the standard when you wear the No. 1 ranking.
Per ESPN Insights, Texas became just the second team since 2010 ranked No. 1 in the AP poll to lose to an unranked opponent. The other was Alabama in 2024, when the Crimson Tide fell 40-35 to Vanderbilt.
That is thin company. Top billing brings a target on every snap. Unranked teams still get paid to play, and they still take the ball away when the favorite leaves it out there. Texas did that Saturday with the interceptions and the stalled drives.
Oklahoma is now 3-2. Texas turns around to host Florida. The Gators lost to South Carolina on the same Saturday, so both sides will arrive with something to prove. For Texas the assignment is simpler than the scoreboard made it look: protect the ball, finish drives, and stop the late bleed.
The Longhorns earned the No. 1 ranking with wins over Ohio State and Tennessee. They did not protect it against Oklahoma. Manning’s two picks, including the pick-six, and four punts told the story. A 17-7 halftime lead became a 27-24 defeat.
College football does not grade on reputation. It grades on execution for four quarters. Texas got the first half right and the second half wrong. Sarkisian’s postgame comments matched the film: anger, frustration, and a short list of problems that have to get fixed if the Longhorns want to stay in the playoff hunt.
Rankings are rented, not owned. When turnovers and stalled drives show up in a rivalry game, the bill comes due the same week, and the poll voters will send the invoice.
