A slice of Cherry Creek-Valor Chrisitan in this year’s Red River Rivalry | College Football Insider

Gunnar Helm only cared about one college football rivalry when he was growing up.

“My whole football domain was the Rocky Mountain Showdown,” the Englewood native said this week. “That was my big game to look forward to.”

Now, the Texas tight end is set to play in arguably the biggest rivalry in America — the Red River Showdown — for the fourth time.

“I’m gonna be honest with you, I didn’t know a whole lot about it,” Helm said as he and the No. 1-ranked Longhorns get ready to make the trip up to Dallas to face No. 18 Oklahoma for the 120th time.

After winning back-to-back CHSAA 5A state championships as a junior and senior at Cherry Creek, Helm has played a role for the Longhorns in all four seasons of his college career to this point.

After playing sparingly in his first two seasons, he caught his first career touchdown pass in the second quarter of last year's instant classic game against the Sooners that OU won on a touchdown in the final minute.

“It was super cool,” Helm said about his touchdown. “It was fourth-and-1 and we were (on) their side of the stadium and obviously, everyone expects a downhill run play. I got fortunate enough that they busted their coverage and (I) just kinda slipped through wide open and the rest is history.”

This year, he’s burst onto the scene and has started to appear on the NFL’s radar with an increased role in the offense that saw him catch seven passes for 98 yards — both career-highs — and a touchdown in the win at Michigan last month.

As he prepares for his final game in this rivalry, he’s no longer a player the OU defense is going to forget about. But he still remembers the feeling of his first time arriving at the Cotton Bowl in 2021.

“I remember the buses coming in and just how many OU fans you see because it’s their side of the stadium,” Helm said. “Walking out for warmups and feeling like you’re in one of the most hostile environments in college football and then getting to the other side of the field and feeling like you’re at home.”

The 50-50 divide inside the stadium is one of the many things that make this game unique. Every year, during the State Fair of Texas, both teams travel to Dallas in what is about the halfway point between Norman and Austin. The hate runs deeper than just about any other rivalry in college football.

But there’s been a mini rivalry inside the larger one for the last two years that will continue again this Saturday.

It’s because Helm isn’t the only Colorado native on the field. Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk, a Valor Christian High graduate, is on the other sideline.

While everyone else will be concerned with the battle between crimson and burnt orange, there’s a secret matchup hidden inside between Creek and Valor — two of Colorado’s most dominant high school programs that have met for the state title four times in the last six years.

Even if he didn’t have much of an understanding of the Red River Rivalry before showing up in Austin, he had plenty of experience in heated matchups, playing against Valor in his final high school game.

It’s safe to say he gets OU-Texas now.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re both unranked, if we’re ranked No. 1, No. 2 or whatever we’re ranked now,” Helm said. “It’s always gonna be a great game because both fan bases get up for this one and it’s close to home for both teams. It’s always gonna be a good game and we know that.”

5 Games to Watch

USC vs. No. 4 Penn State (1:30 p.m., CBS)

The Trojans and Nittany Lions are set to meet for the first time since their epic 2017 Rose Bowl game. Now, as conference foes, they’re both in need of a win. Penn State throttled West Virginia on the road to start the season and a win in Los Angeles would go a long way toward proving this way before a different James Franklin team. On the flip side, Lincoln Riley is desperate to avoid a 3-3 start and the uncomfortable conversations that would follow.

King’s pick: Penn State -4

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (1:30 p.m., ABC)

Even in a new conference, expect similar fireworks when these two meet at the Cotton Bowl. Quinn Ewers returns for the Longhorns, who didn’t miss a beat with Arch Manning at quarterback, and Texas will be searching for a win to keep its status as the nation’s top-ranked team, but true freshman QB Michael Hawkins Jr. is eager for his first signature moment as a Sooner.

King’s pick: Texas -14.5

No. 14 BYU vs. Arizona (2 p.m., FOX)

There are several key Big 12 games this weekend, including the one at Folsom Field, but maybe none bigger than the one in Provo. BYU has stunned everyone with a 5-0 start, but the Cougars will have to be at their best against an Arizona team that is looking for a second-straight win in the state of Utah after beating up on the Utes two weeks ago.

King’s pick: Arizona +4

No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 2 Ohio State (5:30 p.m., NBC)

This is the big one. It’s only the fourth-ever meeting between these now Big Ten foes, but it’s almost 10 years since the Buckeyes beat the Ducks for the 2015 national championship. Ohio State might have more talent than anyone in the country, but Oregon has one of the highest active home winning streaks in the country. Autzen Stadium will be at its best Saturday night.

King’s pick: Ohio State -3

No. 13 LSU vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (5:30 p.m., ABC)

After last year’s epic game between these two SEC rivals produced over 100 points and 1,300 yards combined, both teams have massively upgraded their defenses. Don’t expect a similar offensive explosive this time around. But this is still a hugely important game in both teams’ seasons. Both have one loss already, it feels like this game will be important late in the season as both feel primed to compete for an at-large playoff berth.

King’s pick: LSU +3.5

King’s YTD record ATS: 12-13 (1-4 last week)

King’s Top 5 Heisman candidates

1. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Another game, another ridiculous stat line for Jeanty, who only needed 13 carries to rack up 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns as Boise State blew out Utah State last week. Jeanty is no longer competing with the rest of the running backs in the country: he’s record chasing. Through five games, Jeanty has more yards than Barry Sanders did during his 1988 season in which he set an NCAA record with 2,628 rushing yards.

2. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

Even on a week in which he didn’t play, Hunter’s Heisman odds got better. While several top teams suffered upsets, the Buffs got to sit back and watch during the bye week. The only stopping Hunter from becoming the second Heisman winner in CU history could be a record-breaking season from Jeanty. But Hunter will still have plenty of chances to make his case, starting this week vs. Kansas State.

3. Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Ward can’t keep doing this every week, can he? Miami needed more heroics from Ward to overcome a 35-10 second half deficit at California. last week as he orchestrated three touchdown drives in the final 11 minutes to steal a win in Berkeley for the Hurricanes. Ward had a season-high 437 passing yards in the win.

4. Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Alabama’s stunning loss at Vanderbilt does not fall on Milroe, who had just the third game of his career with over 300 yards passing as he continues to show off his improved abilities throwing the football. Milroe’s performance in the win over Georgia is still one of the best by a quarterback this season and the Crimson Tide’s national title hopes won’t be derailed by one defeat.

5. Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana

How about the Hoosiers of Indiana? The team from Bloomington is off to a 6-0 start under first-year coach Kirk Cignetti and it’s on the backs of an explosive offensive led by Rourke. Anyone who’s watched Ohio the last few years knew how good Rourke was in the MAC and his performance has carried over in his first season in the Power 4. Rourke had a season-high 380 passing yards and three touchdowns in last week’s road win at Northwestern.