GameDay Kickoff: Ranked teams can't sleepwalk through Week 7
Channel: Nsawlak
Date: 2017-10-16

They have yet to meet as opposing head coaches in their first Red River Showdown, but Texas coach Tom Herman has already accomplished something his rival, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, has not.
Herman beat Iowa State.
After last week's shocking loss to the Cyclones, No. 12 Oklahoma (4-1) is under enormous pressure to win out just to have a shot at reaching the College Football Playoff. Texas (3-2), meanwhile, is undefeated in Big 12 play entering Saturday's game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (ESPN and ESPN App, 3:30 p.m. ET).
"We've got to quit worrying about the expectations of the outside world and all that and just go do the absolute best that we can," Riley said.
• 
Spoiler alert! Here's how the second half of the season will play out
Will the balance of power shift in the Big Ten? Which Power 5 conference will have its heart broken? Are we headed to a rematch of epic proportions? Here are a dozen predictions for the second half of the season.
• 
The road to the Red River Showdown for its new coaches
Oklahoma and Texas arrive at the Cotton Bowl with new head coaches. Here's how Lincoln Riley and Tom Herman have navigated their first seasons.
Week 7 features no games between ranked opponents, but don't be fooled: There's still plenty on the line, and potential upsets loom in every conference. Need proof? Rewind to Friday night's game where Syracuse shocked No. 2 Clemson and Cal stunned No. 8 Washington State.
So yeah, the Big 12 might be on edge. For example, Texas has won six of the last nine meetings between these teams when the Longhorns are unranked and the Sooners are ranked. A Texas win on Saturday would knock OU out of the playoff race for good.
No. 6 TCU (5-0), the lone undefeated team in the Big 12, should be wary of its trip to Kansas State, especially after an emotional home win against West Virginia.
Not convinced?
Consider this history lesson, from ESPN's Stats & Information: This is the latest into a season in which we've had no matchups of AP-ranked teams since Week 12 of 2009, the weekend before Thanksgiving. That week, four ranked teams lost to unranked opponents, including two teams that were ranked in the top 15.
Who else is on upset watch in Week 7? The following games are listed in order of most likely to least likely to produce an upset:
Who will win the Red River Showdown?
Both Lincoln Riley and Tom Herman will make their first appearance as head coaches in one of college football's most storied rivalries. Will Oklahoma bounce back from a stunning loss last week? Or will Texas deal OU a crushing blow to its playoff hopes?