It’s one of the greatest rivalries in sports played in a unique situation that is unlike any other great rivalry games or series. What makes OU-Texas so special is it’s truly a neutral site for the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas.
From Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium to the Cotton Bowl is 196 miles away. From Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, it’s 191 miles. Five miles is the difference between the drives these teams have to make to get to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. While it’s played in Texas, the Oklahoma Sooners are a touch closer to the site of the Red River Showdown than their rivals to the south.
This will be the 117th time the two sides have met dating to 1900. The game is a part of the fabric of American sports.
Sixteen times from 1900 to 1923 the game was played with a home-field advantage. The other 100 times the two teams have played at a neutral site, most notably Dallas, Texas. They played in Houston in 1913 according to Winsipedia.
After playing in front of a half-empty Cotton Bowl in 2020, the Sooners and Longhorns matchup marks the return of a capacity crowd of 92,100 fans donning the Crimson and Cream of Oklahoma and the Burnt Orange of Texas.
Once again, the Red River Showdown promises to provide an exciting close battle between two top 25 teams playing good football and vying for supremacy in the Big 12.
As we continue to get ready for OU-Texas, take a look at how our staff at the Sooners Wire feels this game is going to go.
What happens here changes 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.@TedLehman11 | #BeatTexas pic.twitter.com/rgWo9qzzns
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2021
NEXT: Our staff provides their predictions for this week’s matchup.