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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Untitled Article
October 12, 2009 | Football
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To limit the answer to a single thing would be impossible. Only once you have witnessed it or participated in it can you truly get a sense of what it's all about. Even then, it's difficult to put into words.
As the Sooners and Longhorns prepare to meet for the 104th time Saturday at the Cotton Bowl, we break down all the things that make this rivalry so special and offer a look back at some classic moments.
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Anatomy of the Rivalry |
The Programs
First and foremost, it wouldn't be a great rivalry without quality play on the field. Oklahoma and Texas are two of the most tradition-rich programs in all of college football.
OU has claimed seven national championships while Texas has four. The Sooners own 42 conference titles to the Longhorns' 27. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, either OU or Texas has won the league eight times, with the Sooners claiming six of those crowns.
If you want to talk head-to-head, Texas owns the overall advantage at 58-40-5, but the series is dead-even at 29-29-3 since 1948 (Bud Wilkinson's second season as head coach at Oklahoma).
The Location
Dallas, Texas. A location approximately halfway between the campuses of Norman and Austin.
In addition to fans and alumni from each school having equal access, Dallas is a high school football hotbed, allowing both schools to showcase themselves for potential recruits.
The State Fair
In addition to the 90,000-plus fans inside the stadium, countless others congregate outside in the midway.
The sights, sounds and smells of the fair only add to the ambiance, creating an atmosphere that is arguably more unique than that found at any other game anywhere in the world.
OU and Texas first squared off in 1900 and have played continually in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas since 1929, and in the Cotton Bowl since it opened in 1937.
The Cotton Bowl
Half crimson, half burnt-orange, split precisely at midfield. It is indeed a perfect clash of colors.
Depending on what's happening in the game, both sides are always yelling, either in support of their own team or against the other. The result is a constant flux of energy and emotion measured simply in decibels.
From the buses to the tunnel, players are engulfed by the excitement and anticipation, one side screaming for you and the other offering other gestures. It is simply a rush like no other.
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"No game carries with it the atmosphere, the excitement, the energy level that the Oklahoma-Texas game does. When you hit the floor of the Cotton Bowl, there's electricity. And if you don't feel it, you ought to have your saliva checked."
-- Barry Switzer, Former Oklahoma head coach (1973-88)
No one could have said it any better.
This is more than just a football game. It is a battle for pride between two states with a rich football history.
Each year that history grows a little bit deeper, further embedding this as the greatest rivalry in all of college football.
With that in mind, we offer up some classic OU-Texas footage from our video library. Boomer Sooner!
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