No other rivalry in college football is staged quite like Oklahoma vs Texas. It isn’t played on either campus, the stadium seating is split exactly down the middle by team colors, and the game happens in the middle of a state fair rather than on a normal home-and-away rotation. That format is older than either school’s current conference, and it survived conference realignment intact.
The Red River Rivalry: Overview
Oklahoma and Texas have played annually since 1900, making it one of the oldest continuous rivalries in major college football. The series is nicknamed the Red River Rivalry (also called the Red River Showdown) after the river that forms most of the Texas-Oklahoma border, even though the game itself is played well south of that river, in Dallas.
Why It’s Always Played in Dallas
Unlike almost every other major rivalry game, Oklahoma vs Texas is not played on either school’s campus. It’s held at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park, Dallas — roughly equidistant from Austin and Norman — and it’s scheduled during the run of the State Fair of Texas every October. The stadium seating is split exactly in half, with Texas fans filling one side in burnt orange and Oklahoma fans filling the other in crimson, so the crowd noise and colors divide the stadium almost perfectly down the 50-yard line.
Series History
Oklahoma has won the substantial majority of meetings across the series’ history, including several long winning streaks, most notably a dominant stretch under head coach Bob Stoops in the 2000s. Texas has had its own strong periods, including a run of wins in the mid-2000s under Mack Brown. Because the series dates back to 1900, the all-time record reflects more than a century of both programs’ ups and downs rather than any single era.
Conference Realignment and the Rivalry’s Future
Oklahoma and Texas both left the Big 12 for the SEC starting with the 2024 season, ending decades of shared Big 12 membership. Both schools and the state fair committed to keeping the game in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl despite the conference switch, preserving the format that makes the rivalry distinctive even though it’s now an SEC matchup rather than a Big 12 one.
Memorable Games
The rivalry has produced several games with national title implications, particularly during stretches when both programs were simultaneously ranked in the top 10 — a scenario that has happened more often in this series than in almost any other rivalry, given how frequently both schools have fielded ranked teams in the same season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the all-time series lead between Oklahoma and Texas?
Oklahoma holds the all-time lead in a series dating back to 1900, though Texas has had extended stretches of dominance within that history.
Why is the Oklahoma vs Texas game called the Red River Rivalry?
It’s named for the Red River, which forms most of the border between Oklahoma and Texas, even though the game itself is played well south of the river in Dallas.
Where is the Oklahoma vs Texas game played?
At the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park, Dallas, during the State Fair of Texas, on a stadium field split exactly in half between the two fan bases.
Is Oklahoma vs Texas still played after both teams joined the SEC?
Yes. Both schools moved from the Big 12 to the SEC starting in 2024, and both committed to continuing the game in Dallas as part of the SEC schedule.
When is the Oklahoma vs Texas game played each year?
It’s played annually in October, during the run of the State Fair of Texas.