What Happened The Last Time A No. 1 Ranked Texas Longhorns Team Played Oklahoma?

The Texas Longhorns enter their annual Red River Rivalry matchup vs. Oklahoma ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time since 1984.

Oct 8, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA: Texas Longhorns Longhorns defensive back Derrin Thompson (28) places the Golden Hat on the head of head coach Steve Sarkisian after a 49-0 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the annual Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman- USA TODAY NETWORK / Austin American-Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK

Top-ranked teams don't have the best luck in the Red River Rivalry. The last time either Texas or Oklahoma was No. 1 going into the famed rivalry game was the Sooners in 2008. The Longhorns won that game 45-35 and went on to play for the BCS National Championship.

It's been much longer since Texas was at the top of College Football specifically going into the matchup. In fact, the last time the Longhorns went into Dallas at No. 1 was in 1984 - and that game ended in a way that nobody expected.

With Todd Dodge at quarterback and Fred Akers as head coach, Texas and Oklahoma tied 15-15, thanks to 15 third-quarter points from the Sooners. Dodge ended the game by completing 6 of 24 passes for just 75 yards and one touchdown.

Texas went into the half leading 10-0, but Oklahoma responded with 15 straight points, forcing Texas to respond with five fourth-quarter points, including a last-second field goal to save the Longhorns from a loss.

Though ties are in the past of college football, ranked teams struggling in this game are not. Last year, the No. 3 Longhorns fell 34-30 to the No. 15 Sooners. In 2019, No. 19 Texas beat No. 4 Oklahoma 48-45 thanks to a last-second field goal by Cameron Dicker.

Will that trend continue in 2024?

This year, Oklahoma has struggled to find a rhythm with its quarterback and will go into the game with one loss and several close wins over unranked opponents. For Texas, it could not be more different. Junior quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to return after missing two games with an abdominal strain he suffered against Louisiana-Monroe.

In Ewers' absence, redshirt freshman Arch Manning stepped up and led Texas to two wins, including a dominant inaugural SEC win over Mississippi State. In other words, at least on paper, the Longhorns have a major advantage at the most important position on the field.

That said, both teams will be rested going into this week's game, as each had a bye week, avoiding the chaos that occurred in College Football over the weekend.

Thanks to the chaos and upsets, Texas slid back into the No. 1 spot after Vanderbilt upset No. 1 Alabama. Texas is now the last unbeaten team in the SEC and Oklahoma is still waiting for its first win in its new conference.

The teams will return to the Cotton Bowl for one of the best rivalries in college football on Saturday, Oct. 12 with a 2:30 kickoff.