We’re still a long way from championship weekend, but there are some big-time matchups on the college football slate this weekend, none bigger in our state than that little annual get-together in Dallas.

The polls say the Texas Longhorns are the best team in the country, and Oklahoma would love nothing better than to hand the Horns a third Red River Rivalry loss in their last four meetings.

Here are five questions that will be answered Saturday:

Who's Texas' most important assistant coach against OU?

Kyle Flood.

If Texas' offensive line plays up to its experience level, that means left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., center Jake Majors and Co. will keep quarterback Quinn Ewers clean in his first game back and cut down on the penalties that plagued UT in the sloppy win over Mississippi State.

More: Is quarterback Michael Hawkins the next freshman star in the Texas-OU rivalry? | Golden

The team’s most experienced unit will show up, and the Horns will run away to a 38-17 win, setting up a mega matchup with Georgia at home next week.

Will Arch Manning get in the game?

Yes.

The Sooners will stick around for a while, so Manning won’t get extended action, but I expect he'll see a couple of series near the end of the game. It hasn’t been his history, but I'd love to see UT coach Steve Sarkisian install a Manning package and play him in the first half. Sark says he doesn’t change the offense when Manning is in there, but the Horns become much more dynamic because of his ability to scramble and connect on vertical routes.

Ewers should still start, but Manning is a weapon that can still be utilized on occasion, even if Quinn is healthy.

How will no letter of intent affect recruiting?

The NCAA's vote to eliminate the national letter of intent program is just the latest move to make college athletes employees of the universities they represent. For 60 years, high schools celebrated their stars signing national letters of intent, and for decades that buzz of the fax machine was celebrated on college campuses everywhere. Now the current system is being replaced with a contractual financial aid model.

More: Texas football: 20 years after '04 shutout, Horns must solve new Oklahoma problem | Golden

On the bright side, the move opens the pathway to athletes sharing in the revenue that these football factories generate, which I’m all for because the athletes are the ones who made college football a billion-dollar enterprise while coaches, athletic directors, TV networks and the conferences raked in the big bucks.

Who needs a win more: Ole Miss or LSU?

It has to be LSU. The Tigers are playing at home, and a win over the Rebels would make up in part for that season-opening loss to USC.

More: What DeAndre Moore Jr.'s TDs vs. Mississippi State said about Texas' offensive line

At 4-1, the Bayou Bengals would be up against the wall with another loss because of a much tougher schedule that includes remaining games against resurgent Texas A&M on the road, Alabama at home and giant-killer Vanderbilt at home.

The Rebels are a more disciplined ballclub overall, but it won’t be easy. Give me Hotty Toddy, 34-27.

Why pick Oregon to beat Ohio State?

Because the Ducks have the best quarterback. Ohio State’s Will Howard is a fine signal-caller, but Dillon Gabriel is so comfortable in Dan Lanning’s offense.

The Buckeyes boast the nation’s No. 3 defense, but Gabriel has plenty of weapons at his disposal. Sure, he threw a couple of uncharacteristic red-zone interceptions in an otherwise easy win over Michigan State last week, but I expect him to clean that up. Plus, he'll smartly use his legs as the Ducks take a 34-31 win in a classic.

Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: College football: Will Ole Miss beat LSU? Who wins Ohio State-Oregon