Red River Rivalry

Meaningless Conversation for the Trip Down I-35

by: Justin Waganer

October 3, 2000

If you're a Sooner fan, a numbers guy, or a general fan of college football who is headed down to Dallas to watch the game this weekend, here's some numbers to bat around.  Enjoy them and take them for what they are worth.

When entering the game ranked #10 in the AP Poll the Oklahoma Sooners are 1-1.  In 1981, the 10th ranked Sooners lost to the 3rd ranked Longhorns 34-14 and in 1993 the Gary Gibbs coached Sooners won their only Red River game under Gibbs against Texas 38-17 thanks to Cale Gundy's heroics. 

The Sooners knocked off the Kansas Jayhawks 34-16 last week in Norman to go to 4-0.  When the Sooners play the Longhorns after playing the Jayhawks they are just 2-5, 0-3 after beating Kansas. 

Need more stuff?  How about when the Longhorns and Sooners meet up and Oklahoma is ranked higher in the AP Poll?  OU leads 17-8-2.

Despite what the SoonerVision states, this year's game is on October 7th (The SoonerVision said the game is on October 9th). Only once in the 94 previous meetings have the two teams met on this date.  In 1978 the Sooners routed Texas 31-10 to keep their #1 spot in the polls.

Since 1989, the series, with the exception of 1993 and 1998, has been separated by only 41 points.  Yet the Sooners have only won twice and tied once in those 11 games.

What does all this mean?  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

That's the point that people cannot forget when they enter the Cotton Bowl or switch on their television on Saturday.  Anything, and I mean anything, can happen.

How else do you explain a Howard Schnellenberger coached Oklahoma team that started strong in every game leading up to Texas in 1995 and would later fizzle coming from 21 points behind to tie the Longhorns? 

Or explain to me how a John Blake coached team could go 0-4 and lose to the likes of TCU, San Diego State, Tulsa, and Kansas by a combined 68 points and beat the eventual Big 12 champions 30-27 in overtime? 

The Longhorns entered the game from 1989-1992 unranked against Oklahoma who was ranked15th, 4th, 5th, and 19th respectively and never lost. 

Perhaps the most staggering statistic in this long lived, emotional series is this.  In the 94 meetings of these great teams the average final score is 15-14 Texas.  Give me another series with that close of an average final, I'd be willing to bet it's not possible.

That's all I've got.  No more useless numbers.  No more hype.  This game needs no introduction. 

It's OU- Texas.  All bets are off.  All stats are worthless.  All predictions are pointless.