The Red River Rivalry is back at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 10, and the setup is the same familiar one: Oklahoma and Texas meeting in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas for the 97th consecutive year.
Fans heading to the game are being told to build in plenty of cushion. Traffic, parking and security screening are all part of the trip, and the State Fair of Texas will open at 7:00 a.m. on game day. Game tickets will get fans into both the fair and the Cotton Bowl Stadium, and those tickets can be downloaded and saved to mobile devices.
Parking and arrival plans are laid out clearly. Official State Fair parking lots are at Gates 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 15, while rideshare drop-off and pick-up for taxi, Uber, Lyft, Alto and similar services will be at Gate 1.
Inside the Cotton Bowl, gates open at 11:30 a.m., and fans are asked to pay close attention to directional, section and seat signage. All tickets are accepted at any gate. For those with seats in the newly renovated west tower, formerly the press box, the elevators on the sides of Gate A are where tickets will be scanned.
Security will be tight throughout the fair and stadium area. A clear bag policy is in effect for all events at Cotton Bowl Stadium.
All guests will be screened for weapons as they enter the State Fair, and bags, purses, coolers and similar containers will also be screened and subject to search. DART trains and buses are available for transportation.
The weekend also includes a pair of SEC Network events on the fairgrounds. Fans can join the SEC Network LIVE audience in front of the Hall of State inside the State Fair of Texas on Friday afternoon for The Paul Finebaum Show starting at 2 p.m. and on Saturday morning for SEC Nation starting at 8 a.m.
There is also a familiar visual centerpiece waiting on the Midway. For a third year in a row, fairgoers will see the massive flag display near the 500-foot-tall Top o’ Texas Tower. The State of Texas flag will fly in honor of the Lone Star State and its love of college football, and once a winner is crowned and the Golden Hat Trophy is awarded, the flag of the victorious team will go up around 6:30 p.m.
In Other News...
Brent Venables Is Standing By Oklahoma's Embattled Play Caller
Ben Arbuckle has taken the heat for Oklahomas recent offensive struggles, and the noise around him has only grown louder after three straight underwhelming showings. Fans have not been shy about their frustration with the production, and the conversation has spilled beyond the usual game-day griping into something more pointed, with polls showing a sizable chunk of the fan base would rather see Lincoln Riley back in charge of the offense.
Brent Venables, though, is not feeding that fire. The Oklahoma coach is standing by his offensive coordinator and making it clear he believes Arbuckle can get the unit turned around, even as the criticism keeps building. For a program that expects better on that side of the ball, the question now is whether Venables confidence becomes a stabilizing force or just the latest test of patience for a restless fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Red River Shootout Could Expose Whether Texas Is Really No. 1
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For Oklahoma, the game offers more than rivalry bragging rights. The Sooners have built their case around a defense that has quietly ranked among the nations best, and this matchup will tell a lot about how well that unit holds up against Arch Manning and a Texas offense still trying to prove it can consistently match elite expectations. If the Longhorns look the part again, the rest of the sport may have to keep treating them like the real No. 1. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's Defense Could Put Texas In Serious Trouble Saturday
Oklahoma has spent the first month of the season looking like a defense built to make life miserable on Saturdays, and that is what makes this Red River matchup so intriguing for Sooners fans. In a week where the college football conversation is filled with upset possibilities, Oklahomas defense stands out as one of the clearest reasons an underdog can flip the script, especially with Texas bringing a young quarterback situation into one of the sports most unforgiving settings.
The matchup matters because the Sooners do not need fireworks to stay in it if their defense keeps forcing Texas into uncomfortable spots. With Arch Manning still searching for rhythm, Oklahoma has a path to muddy the game and turn every possession into a stress test, which is exactly the kind of formula that can turn a rivalry weekend into a problem for the favorite. [Read more 🡒]