Stories we’re covering today:
- The Oklahoma Sooners take advantage of Texas turnovers, win Red River Rivalry
- A rally at the State Capitol Saturday called for an end to the death penalty
- 23 days until Election Day: Talarico vs. Paxton / Hinojosa vs. Abbott
- ACL Fest 2026 wraps up tonight
- Fans walk out of Austin FC game last night in anti-ICE protest
- Camp Mystic wrongful death lawsuits to resume November 9
- WEATHER: Cold front moves into Central Texas next weekend
- POLITICS: Sunday podcasts
- SPORTS: NCAA, MLS, NFL, NHL, NBA & more
A late-game drive slipped through their fingers in the final seconds at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, as the Texas Longhorns fell 27-24 to rival Oklahoma in a heart-wrenching iteration of the Red River Rivalry. (Associated Press)
The Longhorns are regrouping this week after Saturday’s loss, a setback that is expected to cost Texas its No. 1 ranking in the upcoming national polls.
Rather than dwelling on the loss, Texas must quickly shift its focus back to SEC play as it prepares for next week’s matchup against Florida.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
The Gators are also seeking a bounce-back performance after suffering a 38-19 upset against South Carolina, setting up a high-stakes showdown in which both squads will be eager to get back on track.
Beer and BBQ heading north:
Complete coverage of yesterday game can be found further down this page in SPORTS.
SAMPLE BALLOT
With three weeks remaining until Election Day, the Texas U.S. Senate race has dissolved into a fiery exchange over candidate visibility, after Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Texas GOP notables criticized Democrat James Talarico‘s recent campaign absence due to the flu, while Talarico fired back by highlighting Paxton’s ongoing refusal to meet on a debate stage.
The back-and-forth escalated after Talarico stepped away from in-person trail events following a flu diagnosis, leading Paxton’s campaign and national Republicans—including former President Donald Trump—to mock the Democrat’s nine-day public absence and demand “proof of life”.
Talarico, who returned to the trail with a public appearance at the Austin City Limits music festival, seized on the conservative jabs to redirect attention back to the debate issue. Seizing on Trump’s public call for a debate, Talarico noted that he has accepted four debate invitations and challenged Paxton to accept one—a challenge the Attorney General’s campaign has avoided despite prior promises to face off before voters cast their ballots.
Rep. Talarico campaigned in Austin yesterday.
More political news, including the Texas midterms, can be found further down this page IN OTHER NEWS.
Anti-death penalty advocates gathered on the steps of the Texas State Capitol yesterday on what was World Day Against the Death Penalty to protest capital punishment, focusing severe criticism on the Trump administration’s plan to broadcast the upcoming military execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.
Demonstrators and civil rights advocates condemned the Pentagon’s proposal to livestream Hasan’s firing squad execution, calling the planned broadcast a “theatrical display of violence” that transforms capital punishment into a public spectacle, while reiterating demands to abolish the death penalty nationwide.
After two packed weekends, tens of thousands of poncho-clad music fans, and more mud than Zilker Park has seen in years, the 2026 Austin City Limits Music Festival reaches its final curtain call tonight.
Instead of the customary scorching October heat, the 25th-anniversary run of ACL Fest will be remembered for the soggy terrain that transformed the Great Lawn into a slippery, boot-swallowing playground.
Heavy downpours early in the run pushed back gates and sent festivalgoers scrambling for rain boots, but the damp weather did little to dampen the crowds’ spirits as standout sets from headliners like Charli xcx, Lorde, and The xx powered through the squalls.
Tonight, the mud is drying out just in time for one last epic set of stage-split decisions. Fans closing out the festival will face the ultimate schedule clash, choosing between high-energy stadium alt-rock and hypnotic indie beats, with Twenty One Pilots topping the American Express Stage while synth-pop giants The xx and Parcels bring down the lights across the park.
A woman says she was thrown out of an Austin FC game last week during Hispanic Heritage Night and received a 12-month ban from Q2 Stadium because she was wearing an “Abolish ICE” T-shirt.
Last night, during the club’s match against Nashville, groups of fans walked out of the stadium in a continued protest against the organization’s policy and silence in the wake of increased ICE activity in Central Texas.
The team’s fanbase is largely made up of the local Latino and Hispanic community.
(Photos: Tabitha Sorrell via Facebook)
According to an Austin FC statement emailed to the Austin Chronicle, Daniela Silva’s shirt violated a Q2 Stadium policy prohibiting “signs, symbols, or images displayed for commercial purposes for electioneering, campaigning or advocating for or against any candidate, political party, legislative issues or government action.”
The VERDE & Black lost to Nashville last night, 4-0.
More on the game in SPORTS.
KUT News partnered with Austin PBS and Austin Current to host candidate forums for each of the open Austin City Council seats on the ballot in the November 2026 election.
In District 8 – there are two candidates on the ballot: Selena Xie and Jeffery Bowen. They participated in the candidate forum hosted at KUT Public Media Studios on September 28, 2026.
While overall wildfire activity in the state has decreased lately, brush and grass fires are still present.
WEATHER
SATURDAY’S HIGH /LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Warm temperatures will stay with us for the next five days, but by Friday, big changes are coming to Central Texas with an arriving cold front.
NEXT WEEKEND’S OUTLOOK
In the final weeks before Election Day, Democrats across the country are boasting that the midterm map is expanding in their favor, including in Texas, where state Rep. Gina Hinojosa has seen a recent surge in the governor’s race. (NBC News)
The race to be the governor of Texas heats up even more, and a state Senate race in Tarrant County gets renewed attention.
A Bigger Texas? – Texas lawmakers are exploring the unusual possibility of moving counties in southeastern New Mexico into Texas. Dylan McKim looks at how a dispute over regulation of produced water in the Permian Basin is driving the conversation, what it would legally take to change the state boundary, and why lawmakers on both sides acknowledge the proposal faces major hurdles.
On this edition of “Inside the Investigation,” our team examines court documents surrounding Camp Mystic’s criminal investigation. KXAN’s Arezow Doost and Ann Pierret take a closer look at court documents and the questions that still remain.
It’s a lengthy resume.
U.S. Army infantry officer. Section Chief for Counterterrorism. FBI Special Agent in Charge of the D.C. and Dallas Field Offices.
Now retired from the FBI, Matthew DeSarno could have picked his job in the private sector. But he chose instead to become a… columnist. DeSarno argues that the rule of law is slowly eroding in our country and it could cause permanent damage, so writing is his new high-stakes mission. As the Jasons learned over a cold one with DeSarno at Union Bear Brewing Company in Plano, his new gig began with a letter to his daughters. We also wanted to know what’s the one thing he believed in while working for the FBI that he no longer trusts.
On this Sunday’s edition of REAL TEXANS, Daniel Greer sits down with Thomas Smith, the Republican nominee for Place 3 on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. They discuss the court’s recent decisions and the legal issues Texas faces in the years ahead.
Aliksandria Prout had only been at the Central California Women’s Facility for a few days when a male officer stopped her at a checkpoint. “You have beautiful lips and beautiful eyes,” he said. That was just the beginning. On this episode of The Sunday Story, we feature the first episode of a new three-part series from KQED’s Snap Judgment called “We Are Jane Doe”. It follows thirteen women and their fight for justice against the jailers who sexually assaulted.
AAA GAS PRICES
DIESEL PRICES
SPORTS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Oklahoma capitalized on two fourth-quarter interceptions from Texas QB Arch Manning to beat the No. 1 Longhorns 27-24 on a field goal by Tate Sandell as the clock hit zero.
The Sooners had the chance to get Sandell in position for the game-winning 47-yard kick thanks to two incredible catches from Isaiah Sategna III after Courtland Guillory intercepted Manning with 19 seconds to go and the game tied at 24-24.
ON THE SCHEDULE
Texas must quickly shift its focus back to SEC play as it prepares for next week’s matchup against Florida.
TEXAS A&M / TEXAS TECH / HOUSTON
The Texas Tech Red Raiders had a bye this weekend.
Meanwhile, the struggle is real for the Texas A&M Aggies.
The Aggies are 3-3 overall, 1-3 in the SEC.
No. 22 Houston looks to inch up higher in the rankings after another win Saturday.
MLS: Austin FC fell in a 4-1 defeat to Nashville SC on Saturday night at Q2 Stadium. (Austin FC)
ON THE SCHEDULE
NBA: The Dallas Mavericks responded to their preseason-opening loss with a 132-115 victory over the Houston Rockets early this morning at Venetian Arena, earning a split in the teams’ two-game NBA China series.
Dallas found its offensive rhythm after falling to Houston 135-117 in Friday’s opener. The Mavericks used a balanced scoring attack and increased defensive pressure to reverse the result in the rematch.
Last night, the San Antonio Spurs played their second of five preseason games.
The Phoenix Suns held off San Antonio 102-98 after building a 10-point lead in the first quarter. (WOAI-TV)
The upcoming 2026 NBA preseason games for all three Texas teams:
San Antonio Spurs
- Monday, Oct 12 @ Utah Jazz | 7:00 PM CDT
- Wednesday, Oct 14 vs. Phoenix Suns | 7:00 PM CDT
- Friday, Oct 16 vs. Sacramento Kings | 7:00 PM CDT
Dallas Mavericks
- Wednesday, Oct 14 vs. New Orleans Pelicans | 7:00 PM CDT
- Friday, Oct 16 vs. Atlanta Hawks | 7:00 PM CDT
Houston Rockets
- Thursday, Oct 15 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | 7:30 PM CDT
NHL: Rickard Rakell scored the deciding goal in the shootout and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Saturday.
The Stars are 2-3 on the young season. They are back in action Tuesday night hosting Colorado.
NFL: Week 5 in the Lone Star State is serving up a heavy dose of frustration and high-stakes desperation for Texas’ NFL franchises.
The Dallas Cowboys are reeling after a prime-time flop on Thursday Night Football, falling 24-16 at home to a winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that marched into AT&T Stadium and handed Dak Prescott and company a stunning wake-up call. Dallas couldn’t stop Tampa Bay’s ground attack, surrendering 241 rushing yards to a Bucs team that came in 0-4.
Down in Houston, the zero-win Texans are heading into a crucial early-season crossroads today as they travel to Nashville to take on the equally winless Tennessee Titans.
With both AFC South rivals entering the afternoon at 0-4, C.J. Stroud and the Texans are looking to capture their first victory of the year and avoid a tailspin in a matchup that carries all the tension of a September elimination game.
Houston Texans eye playoff momentum as Jalen Noel emerges as a breakout x-factor against the Tennessee Titans’ struggling slot defense. Can Noel’s big-play ability and CJ Stroud’s deep-ball prowess exploit key weaknesses and reset Houston’s wide receiver hierarchy with Nico Collins back on the outside?
It might be a little while before it truly starts to feel and look like fall in Central Texas.
So let’s look elsewhere. “CBS Sunday Morning” takes a look at the changing colors of the season as the U.S. makes its way into fall.
