The Red River Conference might well come down to this opening game of 2016 with Oklahoma facing Texas A&M.

While everyone is looking carefully at an impressive LSU squad, Oklahoma won the championship last season and could well do it again this year. Things have settled down somewhat after the upheaval of their coaching change of last year. And that settling down should help the Sooners. A&M, meanwhile, is expected to be back as a contender under coach James Lowery. 

Oklahoma lost All American Michael Al Jiboori to graduation, and one of their starting locks, who returned to France. 

“We are working hard to fill the holes their absence leaves,” said Coach Doug Neubauer. “We have added a few new players and got some back from injury.”

Freshman twin brothers Logan and Donovan Ronan have started well at flanker, and David Wallace is settling in nicely at flyhalf and as a leader. Colton Grantham  will captain the squad, while Wallace and Robin Persegol are also important veteran leaders.

“We will need all of them to up their game on and off the field,” said Neubauer.

OU is already 2-0 in the Red River, having beaten Texas Tech 35-7 and TCU 41-3 in the fall. Everyone else will play their conference games this winter/spring. LSU, ranked #24 by Goff Rugby Report (OU is #23 and A&M is #37) hosts TCU.

LSU is led by their impressive flyhalf Cameron Troxler and forward Brennan Falcon, whose brother, Cameron, was just named to the Eagles roster. But the guy who has emerged during the fall is No. 8 Todd Dupre.

“He’s finding a new perspective on how to play No. 8,” said Coach Bob Causey. “He is very fast for someone his size.”

As for entering the Red River Conference, the LSU Tigers are looking forward to new opponents. 

“The guys are excited to have new teams to play,” said Causey. “We’re anxious to see where this is going to take us. We’ve never played TCU or many of these teams before.”