The sea of crimson and burnt orange is overwhelming. As the noise in the Cotton Bowl Stadium grows, it’s obvious that the stage is set for another year of the Red River Rivalry. For Sooner fans everywhere nothing says rivalry quite like the historical meeting of OU and Texas.

“It’s not like [Oklahoma State University]. That’s one of the most lopsided rivalries in the nation,” said Nick England, communication senior. “That’s more like a big brother picking on a little brother. But [OU-Texas] is a pretty decent ball game.”

Every year thousands of fans make the trip to the Cotton Bowl’s neutral site (halfway between Norman and Austin) to watch the Sooners and Longhorns compete in the classic battle. Each team hopes to add another win to its school’s overall record and the fans hope to walk away with bragging rights for the rest of the season. But more important than the bragging rights are the honors of winning a game that is so deeply rooted in tradition such as this one.

“There’s so much tension between the Sooners and the Longhorns,” England said. “The rivalry is so important and all the history that’s behind it. Texas is leading us in wins historically, so both teams are very competitive.”

The series began in 1900 in Austin, Texas, where the Longhorns defeated the Sooners 28-2. (The Sooners won their first game of the series in 1905 with a 2-0 score.) After 11 years of traveling back and forth from Austin to Norman, OU and UT played their first game in Dallas in 1912.

“I hate that it’s in Texas every year, but I like that it’s the midpoint,” said Richard Cavett, history senior. “But I’d guess I’d be more disappointed to see it at each home school. [At the Cotton Bowl Stadium] it just has a bigger feel to it. If the game were somewhere else it would lose some of its prestige.”

It wasn’t until 1929 that the game became a staple of the State Fair of Texas. Now, more than 100 years later, the two teams continue to compete at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. And through at least 2015 this site will continue to be the stage for the OU-Texas showdown.

Throughout the years this game has remained the ultimate competition. And just like the game itself has become a tradition, Sooner fans find the game as an opportunity to build traditions of their own.

England is a part of the Soonermen, a spirit group that dresses up for games. England said the group was started by guys in his fraternity his freshman year. They travel to Dallas every year for the game and have their own cheers.

“All the Soonermen are excited [for OU-Texas],” he said. “There’s just so much hype about it.”

But even students who don’t go to the actual game find their traditions in Dallas.

“My friends and I always go to the West End on Friday [before the game],” said Daniel Maysick, journalism senior. “We would always watch the game at Hooters.”

Justin Ochoa, a sociology senior from Texas, said the game is a time to meet up with his family, including a few who go to UT.

“It’s a big game, but it’s a family rivalry too,” Ochoa said. “We are always talking and bickering about who will win.”

Even as traditions change over time, OU-Texas weekend remains important to many fans.

“It’s almost like a holiday,” Cavett said. “You always get your family and friends together and eat food and watch the game. And the fans are always trying to out-tradition each other. It’s definitely a holiday atmosphere.”

And just like a family holiday, regardless of what happened at last year’s event, the members of the OU family will continue to participate in the OU-Texas tradition.

RED RIVER RIVALRY SPOTLIGHT

This year’s game marks the 103rd meeting of the Sooners and Longhorns

Texas leads the series, 57-40-5

Lowest combined score: 2 (2-0 Texas win, 1905)

Highest combined score: 88 (65-13 Oklahoma win, 2003)

Longest winning streak: Eight (Texas 1940-47)

Largest margin of victory: 52 (65-13 Oklahoma win, 2003)

Since the series began, there have only been eight years in which the teams did not compete. (1918, ’20, ’21 and 1924-28)

CUTTING THE MEAT

At the games the Soonermen can often be seen “cutting the meat.” Nick England said that they saw an older man at a game and he kept saying “cut that meat” and throwing his arm up and down. They didn’t know what he was doing and finally asked him. The man explained that when the referee signals the first down it looks like he’s cutting the meat. The Soonermen adopted the practice but they don’t move their arms down at the elbow because that looks like what Florida State University does.

“It’s kind of like go for the first down,” England said. “But really we just say it all the time just because no one knows what we’re talking about.”