ESPN College Gameday 2018: Location, TV Schedule and Week 6 Predictions

After taking in another classic as Ohio State took down Penn State, the ESPN College GameDay crew next heads to Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas for the Red River Rivalry.

There, the No. 19 Texas Longhorns and No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners collide in a battle of Big 12 powers with lofty postseason aspirations. Saturday marks the 113th edition of the all-time classic, and while Oklahoma has won two in a row in the series, Texas enters fully confident after a dominant stretch of football against quality competition. 

As an added capper, this is the first time both programs enter the historic rivalry nationally ranked in more than a decade. 

So yes, College GameDay had an easy choice in Week 6. 

College GameDay Week 6 Info

Date: Saturday, October 6

Time (ET): 9 a.m. to noon; game is at 12 p.m.

Location: Cotton Bowl Stadium

Watch: Fox

Live Stream: FOX Sports app

Preview

On first pass, one would think the crew of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and others wouldn't have much of an impact on the outcome here. 

And they don't directly, of course, but there is some interesting history here worth noting: 

Either way, Oklahoma is going to need a way to slow Texas' seemingly unstoppable momentum. It seemed like the Charlie Strong era would never end, especially after a season-opening loss to Maryland, 34-29. 

But the Longhorns have rebounded by rattling off four straight, including a 37-14 thumping of then-No. 22 USC and a 31-16 knee-slapper over then-No. 17 TCU. Sam Ehlinger has helped key the offensive resurgence from under center by completing 64.7 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns against two interceptions with another 153 yards and three scores on the ground. 

But for Texas, the key to keeping the momentum alive and throwing not only the season-long Big 12 outlook into chaos, but perhaps the College Football Playoff outlook as well, comes on the defensive side of the football. 

Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray is to blame—one would almost think Baker Mayfield is still under center. 

"The names have changed," Texas coach Tom Herman said, according to the Houston Chronicle's Nick Moyle . "I don't know that the results have at all—maybe the difference is how elite of a runner their quarterback is."

Through five games, all of them wins and only one remotely close, Murray has completed 70.6 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns against just two interceptions, producing 285 yards and four scores as a runner as well. 

To warm up for the rivalry game, Murray posted a 17-of-21 line for 432 yards and six touchdowns in a causal swatting away of Baylor, 66-33. They gained 607 total yards, went 4-of-8 on third downs and only needed twenty-two minutes and forty seconds of possession to do so. 

Murray, a Heisman Trophy candidate, is more than enough to swing a game like this, but it's worth mentioning the Sooners have won 27 of 28 against Big 12 competition lately. Hardly skipping a beat under center means Texas has a tall task in front of it if the program is to start a streak of its own in one of college football's best rivalries.  

Prediction

At a neutral site, the Sooners still enter favored by a 7.5-point margin, according to OddsShark.

No disagreement here. 

The only game Oklahoma came even remotely close to dropping this year was against the unique rushing attack presented by Army, which drummed up 339 yards and three touchdowns while running 78 times compared to nine pass attempts. The Sooners won in overtime, 28-21. 

The Longhorns aren't a successful team on the ground, using a committee approach to average all of 3.7 yards per carry so far. If and when Murray pulls the Sooners ahead, it's going to be hard for the Longhorns to keep pace. 

Look for Murray to pull the Sooners ahead and never look back, using the national platform to advance his Heisman cause, giving the Sooners a third victory in a row here over Texas. 

Prediction: Sooners 28, Longhorns 20