Magic is back in Texas-Oklahoma matchup

AUSTIN, Texas — Quan Cosby walked off Colorado's Folsom Field with a smile on his face, stains on his jersey and the sweet sound of Texas fans chanting in his ear.

"Beat OU! Beat OU!" the Longhorns faithful rang out.

"It's a beautiful sound," Texas' wide receiver said to nobody in particular.

The Longhorns took care of Colorado 38-14 and Oklahoma took care of Baylor 49-17 on Saturday, and seconds after each victory, the respective fan bases had moved on.

That's because No. 1 and undefeated Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) and No. 5 and undefeated Texas (5-0, 1-0) are meeting in Dallas on Saturday for the 103rd Red River Rivalry. This one promises to be one of the biggest Oklahoma-Texas showdowns ever, and not just because there will be 92,100 fans packed into the Cotton Bowl, almost twice the 46,200 the stadium seated when it first opened:

It's the first time since 2004 that both teams enter the game ranked in the top five.

Texas comes in with the fourth-ranked scoring defense (11.4 points per game), while Oklahoma has the 15th-ranked defense (13.8 ppg).

OU has the No. 4 scoring offense (49.6 ppg), while Texas is ranked No. 6 (47.2 ppg).

Both quarterbacks, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Texas' Colt McCoy, are Heisman Trophy favorites.

That's a big difference from a year ago, when both teams came in after losses. The Sooners dropped a shocker at Colorado, and the Longhorns laid an egg against Kansas State.

One year later, the hype is back.

The winner of this game stays in the national title chase. The loser might not even have an opportunity to climb back into the Big 12 South race.

"It's what these two teams should have midseason," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "It's two top-five football teams that are playing really well. We'll have everybody in America talking about the game next week, and that's what we all want. It's fun. It's what Texas and OU have wanted forever, and we have got it back."

That's exactly why ESPN's "College GameDay" will be camped outside the Cotton Bowl.

From the looks of it, it's going to be strength against strength.

The Longhorns come in with the nation's most effective defensive line, sacking opposing quarterbacks 3.8 times per game.

The Sooners are in the top 20 in sacks allowed, giving up just one per game.

In terms of passing efficiency, Bradford is second in the country with a 205.0 rating. McCoy is fourth at 197.9.

One big difference seems to be pass defense, where the Longhorns rank 96th, allowing 244 yards per game, and the Sooners rank 15th, allowing just 159 yards per game. But the Longhorns' young secondary has been steadily improving and playing better than the numbers indicate.

"We've got a good game coming up. The defense is starting to come together," Texas defensive tackle Lamarr Houston said. "It's the way we wanted it to be."

It's the way everybody wants it to be.

It's Texas-Oklahoma.

It's two top-five teams in the renovated and expanded Cotton Bowl.

It's the Red River Rivalry, and it's as big as ever.

Alan Trubow writes for the Austin American-Statesman.