Red River Rivalry: Texas vs Oklahoma

Without question, one of the biggest annual rivalry games in the country, Texas and Oklahoma squared off in the cavernous and historic Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas. Dallas being equidistant from both Norman and Austin, makes for a convenient setting for this annual match up named after the Red River which serves as the northern border separating Texas from Oklahoma. The entire city of Dallas reaches frenzy status during TX vs OU weekend, as throngs of fans pack into bars and pubs donned in their respective team garb - Burnt Orange or Crimson and Cream.

Even the Cotton Bowl itself is demarcated clearly into Texas and Oklahoma sections, and one could draw a line into the stands at the 50 yard line clearly separating the two fan sections.

While this matchup perennially determines the winner of the Big 12 Conference, during my visit this game even took on an even greater magnitude as Oklahoma was ranked #1 in the country at the time, with Texas only a few spots down the ladder at #5. Furthermore, it featured a head to head battle between two Heisman hopeful quarterbacks in Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford. When they say everything is bigger in Texas, they don't make football games any bigger than this as 92,000 other fans can attest.

In a classic gunslinging Texas shootout, the Longhorns prevailed on this day running away with a 45-35 upset victory.