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It seems every year the Texas-OU game has national implications.

Of course, last year was a little different. Amazingly, the winner of the game (Texas), went on to lose only once all year but still did not get a shot at a Big XII title or a crystal trophy in January.

And you can guarantee the bad taste is lingering in the Longhorns mouths. It may not have been the Sooners fault that the Horns did not make it to the Big XII title game, the Texas Tech Red Raiders can be thanked for that. But anybody who paid any attention to the planes flying overhead at UT games in November of last year remembers the Sooners message to Horns fans: Quit whining.

The Horns may say that their revenge factor is low, but they know how important this game is. If they win, they are well on their way to a Big XII South title, something the Sooners have won the last four years. If they lose, the bloom is off the rose of the team with the 100th ranked schedule in the nation. And they can kiss that Rose Bowl goodbye.

The Sooners may have gotten off to a slow start this year, with an early injury to quarterback Sam Bradford, but they can keep dreams alive for a fifth consecutive Big XII South title with a win against a #3 Texas team that has yet to gain too much national recognition.

Mack Brown always says the weeks before and after OU are always harder to coach than the Red River Rivalry in Dallas. This year may be a bit different, however. As Brown will be looking to revamp a running attack that has fallen apart over the last few weeks.

While Bradford and UT quarterback Colt McCoy get most of the headlines in this match-up, the running games have been the deciding factor in almost every game between these two teams under their respective coaches.

When Stoops-coached OU has out-rushed Texas, the Sooners are 6-0 in this game, and when the Brown-helmed Horns have had the rushing edge, Texas is 3-0. Which makes this week very interesting for Texas.

With Vondrell McGee and Tre Newton finishing last weeks game against the Colorado Buffalos on the sideline, the Longhorns finished with a pathetic 46 rushing yards. And this against a team that had already given up over 300 yards rushing this season to Toledo.

Last year, the Horns totaled 161 yards rushing in their 45-35 win against the Sooners, but they have relied on the legs of McCoy less and less this year.

With Newton and McGee questionable for Saturday, the Horns will likely turn to Fozzy Whitaker to make some big plays out of the backfield. But with a thinned out running games, Texas might have to rely on the passing game to set up the run instead of the other way around.

Expect offensive coordinator Greg Davis to spread Texas out three and four wide and use wide receiver screens and hot reads in lieu of runs. This means OU will have to really focus on pressing and containing receiver Jordan Shipley at the line. The outside Heisman candidate has been having an incredible year, and Texas will look to get him the ball close to 10 times Saturday.

While McCoy and his number one target are enjoying a renaissance, Bradfords go-to guy, Jermaine Gresham, has been out all season and wide receiver Ryan Broyles is questionable. Thats not exactly good news for a quarterback just one week removed from the injury list, and one whose mobility may be at an all-time low.

Add to the mix that the Sooners receivers dropped 11 balls against a Baylor secondary that is much weaker than one of the best the Horns have had in three years, and there is danger lurking for Bradford.

The Horns have been incredibly solid at stopping the run this year, and if they have the same success early against Oklahoma, Bradford will have to make plays with young receivers that may be asking a lot of both at this stage of the game. The Sooners must have RBs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray step up big Saturday, but if they put up a first half against Texas like they did against Baylor, the Horns could put the thing away early with the combination of McCoy and their return unit of Shipley and D.J. Monroe, which would be working on a short field. Stoops will have to dig into his back of tricks and rely on misdirection and no-huddle offense to try and confuse and wear down the more talented Texas defense.

With both teams ranking among the nations best in rush defense, and with holes in Texas run game and Oklahomas passing attack, the defenses and special teams may decided this game. I suspect we see a lower scoring game that last years 80 point total.

And while Texas seems to have more horses, it is almost written in stone that OU will keep it close. This year, however, if they want to spoil Texas season, they are going to have to do it themselves and not rely on Michael Crabtree or some computers. I dont see it happening.