Oklahoma HC Brent Venables 'Wouldn't Change' Anything About Red River Rivalry

NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables hasn’t had much success against Texas as the Sooners’ head coach, but he still holds the Red River Rivalry in high regard.

“Always a great week playing Texas,” Venables said on the SEC’s teleconference on Wednesday. “A lot of excitement and energy, certainly in our building and with both fan bases. A lot is always at stake, and tremendous pride.”

Venables has been OU’s head coach since 2022, and his teams are 1-3 against the Longhorns during his tenure. He previously served on the staff as an assistant from 1999 to 2011, and the Sooners went 8-5 during that span.

Oklahoma and Texas have battled on the second Saturday of October at the Cotton Bowl since 1929. The Red River Rivalry is one of the only annual rivalry series that pits foes against one another at a neutral venue.

So much about the rivalry is unique, and Venables views it as sacred.

“The only one I’ve experienced is having it in Dallas,” Venables said. “I think there’s a lot of pageantry and history there in the Cotton Bowl. I wouldn’t want to change it for anything.”

Of course, the Cotton Bowl is nestled right along the grounds of the Texas State Fair in Dallas. Fans of both teams have the opportunity to experience the pageantry of the state fair before and after the game.

As for the actual game, there is a near 50-50 split among the fan bases inside the stadium, with Dallas located almost exactly three hours away from both campuses.

Texas leads the all-time series 65-51-5. The Sooners dominated the rivalry from 2010 to 2021, holding a 10-3 advantage over the Longhorns during that span.

But more recently, the Longhorns have controlled the series. Texas has won the last two meetings by a combined 48 points, defeating OU 23-6 last year.

Venables has struggled against OU’s arch rival. But he wouldn’t want the Red River Rivalry to ever become a home-and-home series — even if it gave his team an advantage every other year.

“I love everything about it — the passion, the energy, the intensity, the crowd being 50-50,” Venables said. “I think it’s fantastic.”

OU comes into this year’s game as an 8.5-point underdog and a 2-2 record. The Sooners had last week off after losing 41-13 to No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 26.

Between OU’s 2026 struggles and the program’s 1-3 record against Texas under Venables, the nationwide expectation is for the Longhorns — ranked No. 1 — to get their 66th win in the series.

But Venables knows that anything goes at the Cotton Bowl, which excites him for this year’s meeting.

“Just looking forward to getting our team ready here this week to go down and again face a really good Texas team ranked number one in the country and a great opportunity for us,” Venables said.

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