What is the actual name for the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry?
The rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma is one of the best in college football, but there’s still some confusion about what to call it.
College football fans know exactly what to expect on game day between archrivals Texas and Oklahoma: A split crowd between crimson and burnt orange at the historic Cotton Bowl, unhealthy food outside at the state fair, and plenty of hate. One thing that isn’t so clear is what exactly the classic rivalry is supposed to be called.
Texas and Oklahoma have one of the longest standing rivalries in the nation with 111 all-time meetings, and the contest has been held at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas every year since 1932. The Longhorns hold a 61-45-5 advantage, but Oklahoma is narrowing the gap with five wins in the last seven meetings between the two storied programs.
Most rivalries of that caliber either have a set name that everyone agrees on like the Iron Bowl or aren’t named at all such as the annual meeting between Notre Dame and USC. However, Texas-Oklahoma is often called the Red River Rivalry, Red River Shootout, Red River Classic or Red River Showdown.
At the very least, the Red River part of is consistently used by fans and networks alike. The Red River is an easy choice for naming the contest between the two schools, as it acts as the border between the states of Texas and Oklahoma.
Up until 2005, the Texas-Oklahoma game was officially known as the Red River Shootout, a tradition spanning a century. A sponsor removed the name that season and simply called in the Red River Rivalry, leading to some confusion in the following years with a number of changes.
In 2014, the name was technically changed to the AT&T Red River Showdown, which has stuck since. Of course, no fan is going to say that full name complete with the sponsor, so don’t expect the technical name to gain a lot of traction.
While the Longhorns and Sooners don’t agree on much, most long-time fans are going to call it the Red River Shootout, as college football tradition is tough to break. Broadcast networks will probably be all over the place on Saturday afternoon, with any of the four names in play.
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No matter what you call it, the rivalry is always must-watch TV, and Saturday’s contest between first-year head coaches Lincoln Riley and Tom Herman is particularly intriguing. The Sooners will look to bounce back from last week’s bitterly disappointing loss against Iowa State, while Texas has headed in the right direction since being upset by Maryland in week one.