Cotton Bowl Stadium. Crimson and cream versus burnt orangebrand white. Sooners versus Longhorns. Oklahoma versus Texas.brStoops versus Strong. The Red River Rivalry — or Shootout — orbrShowdown. Call it what you will, but everything remains thebrsame – it's been a game-changer every football season since it all began inbr1900. Forget the rankings and whatever happened last year, because eachbrtime these Big 12 rivals hit the field, it's anybody's game. Following thebrtrail of corny dogs and funnel cakes, fans from Norman and Austin packbrthe stands of Fair Park for a weekend of good-spirited banter that won't stopbruntil the clock runs out. The tradition continues this year, with the win-brning team taking home bragging rights, and of course, the coveted GoldenbrHat trophy.br
Sure, there have been shake-ups in the Big 12, but the OU/Texas rivalrybrruns deep. The air of anticipation weighs heavy on this epic battle, but that'sbrnot to say there's no camaraderie to be had here. Fans unite over beers, cot-brton candy and fair rides coming in and out of the game, and those withoutbrgame-day tickets are welcomed to gather around the big screen outside ofbrthe stadium to cheer on their favorite team close by. And once the best teambrhas won, the tears can dry quickly ... because you can always count on doingbrit all over again next year.