Red River Hype

This week is Texas-Oklahoma week.  Everyone knows that. 

What everyone hasn't realized yet is the significance of the game, or really lack there of. 

Sure, this one of the biggest rivalries in college football and both teams are ranked in the top 5, but it's not, by a long shot, what should be considered a national title "implications" game. 

Let's say Texas pulls the upset on Saturday. Do we get to do this all over again next week in the Texas-Mizzou game? 

What if Texas wins that game, and we get to the Texas-Texas Tech game and both teams are undefeated, does that become the biggest game of the year? 

Simply put this game gives the winner the inside track to the Big XII South title, but that's it. 

We live in an era of sports overhype. This is an era where ESPN has over dramatised every match-up as if this is going to be the greatest game ever, and then when one of the games actually does live up to the hype it automatically becomes "The Greatest Game Ever", at least until next week. 

I can understand people thinking that this game is all or nothing for both teams because in the past, Texas and Oklahoma were the only two teams that knew how to walk on to a football field in the Big XII, but times they are a changing. 

Now Oklahoma and Texas have very tough conference schedules, especially Texas, with a date with Missouri the very week after the Red River Rivalry. I'm not on here to diminish the rivalry in any way, but rather to put into context in the national picture.

This game has only minimal, at best, national title implications. 

The game should be enjoyed for what it is, two great football teams with a long rich tradition of winning and hating each other. That in itself already makes for great entertainment. There is no need to over hype an already great rivalry. 

So this weekend when you are watching the game get lost in the game and not the hype because it should be easy to do.