Texas vs Oklahoma Rivalry History, Odds & Preview: Red River Rivalry 2026

One of college football's best-known rivalries returns for its 122nd edition in Week 6, as Texas and Oklahoma meet at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC), with the Texas State Fair taking place right outside.

The Texas vs. Oklahoma rivalry, better known as the Red River Rivalry, has been played every season since 1929, with these two storied programs often blocking each other from winning a conference championship or, in modern times, reaching the College Football Playoff.

Texas is the favorite and has won Red River in three of the last four years, making it a popular pick among college football analysts. 

Texas vs Oklahoma rivalry history: Red River Rivalry

Texas	Category	Oklahoma
65	Wins	51
8 (1940-1947)	Longest win streak	6 (1952-1957)
49 (2022)	Largest margin of victory	52 (2003)
977-401-34 (.704)	Program record	962-355-53 (.722)
4 (4)	Claimed national titles (recognized)	7 (7)
33	Conference championships	50
2	Heisman winners	7
65	Consensus All-Americans	83
807	Weeks in the AP Poll	922
50	Weeks at No. 1	101
63 (34-27-2)	Bowl games (record)	59 (31-27-1)
432	NFL draft picks	429
58	First-round picks	51

This is one of college football's most competitive rivalries because both Texas and Oklahoma have had national success. It also adds to the lore that Texas has been the more successful team in the Red River Rivalry, while Oklahoma has had more national success over the last few decades.

Like a river, the rivalry has ebbed and flowed for decades, with Hall of Fame coaches taking over, ending losing streaks, and winning national championships. Red River is one of the defining rivalries in all of sports.

The rivalry began in 1900 with a 28-2 win for Texas, and the Longhorns wouldn't lose to Oklahoma until the eighth meeting in 1905, when the Sooners won 2-0. Texas dominated the rivalry initially, going 8-1-1 from 1900 to 1907 (they played multiple times in 1901 and 1903).

Then, Oklahoma finally broke through, going 7-4 against Texas from 1908 until 1919. The only interruption (beyond 1918 being canceled due to the Spanish flu) was when Oklahoma left the Southwest Conference for the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (later renamed the Big Eight), which initially didn't allow members to play neutral-site regular-season games.

The programs played just three times between 1918 and 1928, but resumed permanently in 1929, with Texas and OU playing every season since then. When it resumed, the Longhorns returned to dominance, winning 15 of 19 games from 1929 to 1947.

Then, Bud Wilkinson changed football in Norman forever. The Hall of Fame coach was hired in 1947 and would go 9-1 in Red River from 1948 until 1957, taking home three national championships along the way,

That's when Texas made its program-changing hire of Darrell Royal. Royal, who played at Oklahoma under Wilkinson, arrived in Austin in 1957 and went 12-1 against OU from 1958 to 1970. In total, Wilkinson went 9-8 in Red River, and Royal went 12-7-1.

They laid the groundwork for these programs to be blue bloods today, and without them, Red River wouldn't be a defining rivalry. Of course, coaches like Bob Stoops, Mack Brown, and Barry Switzer have played key roles for the last half-century, too.

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History of the Texas vs Oklahoma rivalry

When did the Texas vs Oklahoma rivalry start?

The first Red River Rivalry game, then known as the Red River Shootout (renamed in 2005), was played in 1900. Texas won the first game 28-2 at home in Austin. The game has been played 121 times and has been held in various locations before settling permanently at the Cotton Bowl during the week of the Texas State Fair in 1929.

Before that, Red River had been played in Austin, Norman, Oklahoma City, Houston, and Dallas.

Why is the Red River Rivalry played at the Cotton Bowl during the Texas State Fair?

In 1929, after Red River resumed as an annual rivalry game, both programs signed a contract to play in Dallas during the Texas State Fair. Dallas sits about halfway between both Texas and Oklahoma's campuses, making it a natural fit for a neutral-site game between these two rivals.

The initial contract was for 10 years, but it became a tradition to play the game during the Texas State Fair, and nearly 100 years later, the tradition continues. 

Why's it called the Red River Rivalry?

The name "Red River" comes from the actual Red River, which runs through the Southern United States. Named after the reddish water from the red beds of Texas and Oklahoma in its watershed, the river rises from two branches in the Texas Panhandle and flows east.

It forms the border between Texas and Oklahoma, making it a perfect fit for the states' college football rivalry.

The rivalry was previously known as the Red River Shootout until 2005 (the 100th game), when its sponsor, SBC Communications, renamed it the Red River Rivalry.

What is the Golden Hat?

The winner of the Red River Rivalry receives the Golden Hat trophy, a ten-gallon hat made of gold. Created in 1941, it was initially known as the Bronze Hat because of its color, but it was reworked in the 1970s to make the trophy gold.

It's not the only trophy the winner receives, though it is considered the best. The other two trophies the Red River winner receives are the Red River Rivalry trophy and the Governors' trophy.

Best moments in the Texas vs Oklahoma rivalry

• A controversial tie in the downpour (1984)

The second game ever in which Texas and Oklahoma were the top two ranked teams in the country ended in controversy. On a rainy day in Dallas, Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer wore a "Beat Texas" hat as the Longhorns led 10-0 at halftime.

However, the Sooners bounced back in the second half and were up 15-12 in the final seconds of Red River.

With 10 seconds left and in field goal range, the Longhorns threw to the end zone, and QB Todd Dodge appeared to be intercepted by Keith Stanberry. But officials ruled it incomplete, and Texas' Jeff Ward hit a field goal to end the game in a 15-15 tie.

• Roy Williams putting on his Superman cape (2001)

With just over two minutes left and No. 3 Oklahoma holding a 7-3 lead, No. 5 Texas had the ball on its own three-yard line. Longhorns QB Chris Simms dropped back to pass, but Oklahoma safety Roy Williams hurdled a blocker while blitzing and deflected the throw.

Sooner linebacker Teddy Lehman's caught the deflected pass for an interception and returned it for a touchdown. The play is commonly known as "The Superman Play." 

• Caleb Williams' comeback (2021)

In Lincoln Riley's final Red River Rivalry game as Oklahoma's head coach, his No. 6 Sooners trailed No. 21 Texas 35-17 with just over six minutes to go in the second quarter. After his second turnover, Riley benched starting QB Spencer Rattler for freshman five-star recruit Caleb Williams.

Williams would lead a field goal drive before half but was still down 38-20 early in the third quarter when the future Heisman Trophy winner came to life. The Sooners would score on six of their final seven drives to win 55-48.

Having led 28-7 in the first quarter, it became the game Texas ever lost after leading by 21 points.

Key figures in the Texas vs Oklahoma rivalry

• Darrell Royal, Texas

Darrell Royal is everything to Texas football; the Longhorns' stadium is even named after him (Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium). He arrived in 1957 and in his 20 years leading the program, Texas won 77.4% of its games, beat Oklahoma 12 times, and took home three national titles and 11 Southwest Conference championships. 

But before he was a College Football Hall of Fame coach in Austin, Royal played quarterback for Sooners head coach Bud Wilkinson in Norman.

• Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma

Before Switzer and Stoops, Bud Wilkinson came first. He's the godfather of Oklahoma football, and though he retired early at just 47, he led the Sooners to three national titles and 14 conference championships. 

Before he took over as the head coach in 1947, Oklahoma was 11-28-1 against Texas. Under Wilkinson, the Sooners were 9-8 in the Red River Rivalry, including ending an eight-game losing streak by winning nine of 10 from 1948 to 1957.

• Earl Campbell, Texas

The best gift Royal gave Texas before retiring was bringing Earl Campbell to Austin, even if he'd be gone before the running back's best season in the burnt orange. Before he was the No. 1 pick by the Houston Oilers and the NFL MVP, Campbell was one of the best running backs college football has ever seen.

He ran for over 4,000 yards for Texas and won the Heisman Trophy in 1977, but his most important accomplishment may have been ending Texas' losing streak to Oklahoma.

The Sooners won five straight Red River Rivalry games from 1971 to 1975 before Campbell led the Longhorns to a tie in 1976 and a win over No. 2 Oklahoma in 1977.

• Billy Sims, Oklahoma

If Royal was Texas' answer to Wilkinson, Billy Sims was Oklahoma's answer to Campbell. Like Campbell, Sims would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and be selected No. 1 in the NFL draft, but before he became a star for the Detroit Lions, he carried the Sooners to a Red River Rivalry win in 1978 after losing to Campbell the year before.

Sims' 131-yard, two-touchdown performance powered the No. 1 Sooners past the No. 6 Longhorns to end their mini Red River drought. 

• Vince Young/Colt McCoy, Texas

When Stoops took over Oklahoma in 1999, he owned Red River. Texas lost five straight to the Sooners from 2000 to 2004, and Mack Brown's job security was in question.

Brown's answer was Vince Young. Young ended the losing streak in 2005 with a 45-12 win and took Texas to the top of the mountain with a national championship later that season.

When Young went pro, he passed the baton to Colt McCoy. McCoy started from 2006 to 2009 and went 3-1 against Oklahoma. 

• Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Switzer and Stoops are both legends in their own right, but the latter bleeds crimson and cream. Stoops took over in 1999, when the Longhorns were winning Red River pretty much annually. Texas went 8-2 against OU from 1989 to 1999.

By Stoops' second season, he'd already turned the Sooners into a machine and beat Texas to give Oklahoma its first Red River win since 1996. He would go on to win the national championship that season, too, the first for OU since Switzer in 1985.

Though Stoops wouldn't win another national title, he did win 10 Big 12 championships and beat Texas 11 times.

Biggest upsets in Texas vs Oklahoma history

Biggest blowouts in Texas vs Oklahoma rivalry 

Texas vs Oklahoma schedule & future matchups

The Red River Rivalry is scheduled to take place every season for the foreseeable future, with Texas and Oklahoma being marquee rivals in the SEC. The rivalry's contract will keep it at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas through at least 2036. 

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