Oklahoma Football Named National Team of the Week After Beating No. 1 Texas

The national folks noticed too.

Oklahoma was named the Pop-Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week after beating No. 1 Texas 27-24 in the Cotton Bowl, and for once that honor feels pretty simple to justify. The Sooners knocked off the top team in the country in a rivalry game, scored on offense, defense, and special teams, and won it on a kick as time expired. You do not need a fancy explanation after that.

Tate Sandell was the one who closed it. He had already hit a 53-yarder in the third quarter to make it 17-10. Then he drilled the 47-yarder at the end and sent Oklahoma home with its first win over an AP No. 1 since 2007. It was also the first time the Sooners had beaten Texas when the Longhorns were sitting at No. 1.

That is a real day. Not a cute moral-victory day. A real one.

The way they got there was pure Oklahoma this season. Ugly early. Just enough late. The first touchdown did not even come from the offense. Danny Okoye blocked a punt, Dakoda Fields fell on it in the end zone, and the Sooners were somehow tied at 7 even while the offense was still stuck in the mud.

At half it was 17-7 Texas, and if you had turned the game off there, nobody would have blamed you.

Then the second half turned into a different fight. Lloyd Avant punched in a short touchdown to make it 17-17. Peyton Bowen took an Arch Manning pick 42 yards for a score and all of a sudden Oklahoma led 24-17. Texas answered and tied it again, because good teams do that. But the Sooners still got the last chance they needed when Courtland Guillory intercepted Manning with 19 seconds left.

From there, John Mateer finally had his moment, hitting Isaiah Sategna twice down the sideline and giving Sandell a clean enough look to end it.

That was the whole game. Defense keeps creating chances. Special teams keeps finishing moments. Offense does just enough not to waste them. Oklahoma forced eight punts, seven three-and-outs, and 10 short non-scoring drives. That is why a flawed team was still able to knock off the No. 1 team in the country.

The award also put the Sooners alone at the top of the FWAA’s all-time list with 10 national team of the week honors since 2002. They had been tied with Michigan State. Oklahoma has now won it in each of the last two seasons too, after the Alabama wins in 2024 and 2025. So when this team actually puts the big things together, people around the sport still pay attention.

Of course, the calendar does not care. Kentucky is next in Norman, ranked and dangerous, with a 6:30 kick on SEC Network.

Team of the Week is a nice stamp for Dallas. The next game decides whether it was a beginning or just one loud night in the Cotton Bowl.