SportsSpotlight Stories

Red River Hype: History, location and even food makes Texas-Oklahoma special

October 9, 2025
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Saturday will be the 121st time the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners have faced off on the football field. It will be just the second time as members of the SEC. Texas and Oklahoma joined the league hand-in-hand. The SEC jumped at the chance to add the two schools. The Red River Rivalry is one of the big reasons why.

71 meetings have featured at least one ranked team. The Longhorns were No. 1 for last year’s meeting. OU is ranked this year. The Texas leads the overall series 64–51–5 (.554). OU has dominated in the 21st Century with a 17-9 record.

Since 1932, the game’s site has been the Cotton Bowl inside Fair Park in Dallas. The winner of the matchup receives the Golden Hat trophy, a gold ten-gallon hat that can actually be worn. The trophy is kept by the winning school’s athletic department until the next game. Since 1934, the game has traditionally been played on the second Saturday of October to coincide with the Texas State Fair.

The game is the most like a bowl game of any regular season college football game in the nation. The fact that the fans are split down the 50, instead of the endzone only heightens the intensity.

It’s like a Movie

There still might be some SEC fans checking out this spectacle for the first time. The sights and sounds are cinematic.

Tunnel Vision

The atmosphere at the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Rivalry is unique. The oval is spit at the 50-yard line instead of in the middle of the end zones, which is the more standard method, like in bowl games. But what that dies us put the tunnel on the Oklahoma half. And the Horns hear it.

The State Fair

Part of what makes this game so unique is that it is literally held in the middle of the Texas State Fair. The stadium is nestled into the fair grounds next to rides and some of the wildest food you’ll ever try. And of course, there’s Big Tex.

Story Time

There are hundreds of stories about how these two teams tried to get an edge on the other. Here’s one involving long lost pirate Mike Leach.

The History

Every installment of the Red River Rivalry makes its own history. Here are some of the best moments over the past 30 years.

Prediction Time

Check out some previews and predictions heading into the game.

Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: What makes Texas vs. Oklahoma Red River Rivalry so unique?

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