Who would have thought formerly top-ranked Alabama’s first loss of the season would come against never-beaten-a-top-five-team Vanderbilt?

SEC football left fans’ jaws dropped after an unpredictable weekend of conference play, and it just further proved with the SEC, It Just Means More. And this season, with two new faces on everyone’s schedules, it means even more.

Texas and Oklahoma have a target on their backs as the conference newcomers, and both have already proven to have the quality to beat SEC veterans. 

The No. 1 Longhorns debuted against Mississippi State, one of the conference founders, and despite some troubles, managed to earn their first conference win and maintain an undefeated record. 

No. 18 Oklahoma on the other hand didn’t have a glorious start. The Sooners hosted No. 8 — then No. 6 — Tennessee at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium but fell to the Volunteers 25-15. 

Oklahoma had another challenge before its bye week and the trip to Dallas for the awaited Red River Rivalry game through an away game at Auburn. Though the Tigers had control of the game, leading 21-10 at one point, the Sooners pulled together a late comeback to make it a one-touchdown game and win their first SEC game 27-21.

Now both teams head into the most heated game of the season.

In 2023, Oklahoma was responsible for breaking Texas’ undefeated streak and ended conference play as the only team to beat the Longhorns that season. One year later the Sooners have the opportunity to do the same with even more at stake.

Texas hasn’t gone into the matchup as the No. 1 team in 40 years, and there are few things its archrivals would enjoy more than taking the title away from the Longhorns while proving its place in the new conference.

This is also the most expensive edition of the rivalry game, with an average ticket price of $719, 19% higher than last year’s $604. The game is also the most expensive college football game of the week.

Whoever goes home with the Golden Hat this year could arguably be the best newcomer of the conference going into a tough rest of the season.

The week following the Red River Shootout, Texas will host No. 5 Georgia at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for a game that has been hyped up since its announcement. Oklahoma will go on to face unranked South Carolina before meeting four ranked teams to close off the conference season in No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 21 Missouri, No. 7 Alabama and No. 13 LSU. 

After Georgia, Texas’ schedule will be a list of currently unranked teams in Vanderbilt, Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky before a Thanksgiving week matchup against No. 15 Texas A&M in College Station. Though it looks like an easy schedule, Vanderbilt and Arkansas are both coming out of major upsets, beating Alabama and Tennessee. Kentucky played within one point of Georgia.