Texas vs. Oklahoma odds, spread, lines: Week 6 college football picks, predictions by computer model

College Football Power Index picks, predictions for Texas vs. Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout

For the first time since 1998, the Red River Shootout will host two unranked teams as Texas and Oklahoma meet in the Cotton Bowl in college football's Week 6 action on Saturday.

Both are at two losses on the year under new management - Texas in Year 2 under Steve Sarkisian and OU in its maiden season with Brent Venables - and neither seem to be on the College Football Playoff horizon anytime soon.

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But don't expect that to dampen the atmosphere at the Texas State Fair, with its Cotton Bowl setting evenly divided between burnt orange and crimson.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Texas vs. Oklahoma odds, spread, predictions

Week 6 college football picks: Texas vs. Oklahoma / USA Today Images

Football Power Index is siding with the Longhorns in this one, as Texas has the 68.2 percent chance to defeat the Sooners on Saturday.

That leaves OU the 31.8 percent chance to take down its arch rival.

The oddsmakers project a somewhat closer matchup, as the Longhorns come in the 6.5 point favorites, according to the line at SI Sportsbook, which set the over/under mark at 65 points for the game.

Texas checks in at a surprising No. 6 on the FPI's national 131 college football rankings this week after defeating West Virginia and moving to 2-2.

Not a conventional power ranking, the FPI ranks team based on expected per-game point margin against average opponents. This week, the computer projects Texas is 18.7 points better on average than the teams on its schedule, hence the high position.

FPI predicts Texas will win 8.5 games this season and has a 39.7 percent shot to win the Big 12, leading all teams in the conference.

Oklahoma comes in at No. 19 on the index, a drop of 11 spots after last Saturday's ugly loss at TCU and is an estimated 12.5 points better than the teams it will face on average.

The computer projects OU will win 7.0 games this season with an 88.2 percent shot to become bowl eligible, but is effectively out of the Big 12 and College Football Playoff chase.

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance. 

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Oklahoma State
8. Tennessee
9. Ole Miss
10. Penn State
11. Utah
12. Oregon
13. Kentucky
14. NC State
15. Wake Forest
16. BYU
17. TCU
18. UCLA
19. Kansas
20. Kansas State
21. Washington
22. Syracuse
23. Mississippi State
24. Cincinnati 
25. LSU

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