One of the most storied rivalries in college football is back this weekend as the 121st Red River Rivalry game takes place in Dallas.
First played in 1900, the OU-Texas matchup has taken place nearly every year since then, with the exception of a short stint in the 1920s.
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Texas, which started the season ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, is going into this weekend’s game unranked for the first time since 2022. OU is heading to the game with its highest ranking in the Brent Venables era, a No. 6 after an undefeated start to the season.
Here are five things that make the OU-Texas rivalry special among college football rivalries:
MUSSATTO: Why Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has more pressure than OU’s Brent Venables
It’s played at the Texas State Fair
If there is any doubt that this rivalry gets heated, just remember it has to be played in a neutral site.
Since 1929, the Red River Rivalry game has been played at the Cotton Bowl in the Texas State Fair Park in Dallas. The city is considered the halfway point between Norman and Austin, around a three-hour drive from each campus.
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Fans who go to the game get to enjoy more than football. Some highlights of the fair include the famous Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, a petting zoo and the Top O’ Texas Observation Tower, where you can see all of Dallas. The tower is the ninth biggest observation tower in the United States.
After the game, fans of the winning team usually stay longer to celebrate at the fair, but it’s unlikely to see many fans from the losing side stick around.
More: SoonersXtra podcast: Does OU football or Texas have Red River Rivalry advantage?
The Golden Hat
The winner of the game receives a gold, ten-gallon cowboy hat to keep in its school’s athletic department until the next game is played. Texas currently holds the trophy after the 34-3 win in 2024.
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Created in 1941, the hat was originally bronze-colored and was known as the “Bronze Hat” or “Brass Hat.” It was reworked in the 1970s to become the Golden Hat, and has been the biggest symbol of the rivalry since then.
The Golden Hat is one of four trophies in the game, but it is definitely the best-known one.
More: OU football bowl projections 2025: Where are Sooners entering Red River Rivalry week?
The rivalry is older than the state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma joined the union as a state in 1907, the first Red River Rivalry game was played in 1900.
The 1907 incorporated territory was a combination of the Indian Territory (1834-1907) and the Oklahoma Territory (1890-1907). The University of Oklahoma, formerly known as the Norman Territorial University, was established in 1890 in the Oklahoma Territory.
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The 1900 Red River Rivalry game was played between the University of Texas and the Norman Territorial University, which changed names in 1907.
More: OU-Texas football all-quarter century team: Baker Mayfield tops Red River Rivalry list
Mascots
If 120 games played isn’t enough for a solid tradition, the Sooners and the Longhorns bring in the most iconic parts of their programs to the Cotton Bowl every year.
It’s not everywhere that a 1,800-pound Longhorn watches a 1,020-pound wagon carried by matching white ponies barrel into a massive football stadium. Bevo, the famous Texas mascot, doesn’t often travel to away games, but he will always make an appearance at the Cotton Bowl.
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The OU Sooner Schooner is reminiscent of the old mode of travel used by the pioneers who settled in Oklahoma Territory in the late 1880s. During home and bowl games, the Schooner races across the field to celebrate an OU touchdown.
More: Oklahoma football vs Texas: Best prices for remaining available seats
OU and Texas were in different conferences for 75 years
OU and Texas were both founding members of the Southwest Conference in 1914. While Texas only left the SWC in 1996, when the conference was disbanded, OU left just four seasons after its debut season in 1915, leaving for the Big 6 in 1920.
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It was only in 1996, when the Big 6, then expanded to the Big 12, welcomed four Texas schools, including the Longhorns. Despite not being in the same conference for most of the century, OU and Texas faced each other every year in Dallas from 1929.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why OU-Texas weekend has one of college football’s best vibes
