Oklahoma and Texas have been playing for more than 100 years. In that time, it has become one of the most heated rivalries in college football.

With this year’s matchup featuring two top-five teams, the Red River Rivalry has reached another level. This game marks the 10th time both teams have been ranked in the nation’s top five. OU is 5-3-1 in those games, and has won each of the last three.

The OU-Texas game has historically been a major determinant in which team wins the Big 12 South. And that distinction could be even more important this year, because the winner of the Big 12 will likely reach the national championship.

The presence of ESPN College GameDay will only heighten the energy surrounding the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Rabid fans will be rolling out as early as possible, which should make for some interesting coexistence.

This Sooner squad is used to GameDay's presence, after the crew attended both of OU's contests against Missouri last season. The Sooners won those games by a combined score of 79-48 and then-freshman quarterback Sam Bradford threw four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Bradford has shown the ability to play in hostile environments, but the one this weekend could be on a whole other level. The OU-Texas rivalry has become so intense that fans legitimately hate the opposition.

“I’ve been to the last 12 OU-Texas games, and it’s my favorite day of the year,” Oklahoma student John Morgan said. “I was born to hate Texas. It’s part of my [family]. If I didn’t hate Texas, I wouldn’t be invited back to Thanksgiving dinner. It’s just a family thing.”

That feeling stretches to both sides of the Red River.

“I would say it’s an intense dislike,” Texas student James Brunson said. “We definitely respect OU and their ability to win games, but we also want to win ourselves. There’s hate that goes along with any good rivalry.”

The natural hatred between these two teams should reach near-hysteria with the national implications involved, as well as the presence of College Gameday. It should be interesting to see which team can thrive under pressure and come away with a leg up in the Big 12.

"It's the same with a lot of the big rivalries; it's the tradition and the history,” OU head coach Bob Stoops said. “Another thing that adds to it is that they are great teams. It's more than just bragging rights now. It's an inside track, or one up on the other guy, on your way to a championship, hopefully. I think being in the same division has really escalated it."

This story can also be viewed at collegegameday.com