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…Kind of a Big Deal

Posted by TaylorTRoom on October 7th, 2008 under Football

I am convinced that the Texas/OU game is one of our program’s greatest assets. Unfortunately, I am also convinced it is one of the OU program’s greatest assets (exceeded only by booster cash and the lack of an institutional moral compass) too. Here’s why.

The two distinguishing characteristics of the Red River Shootout (RRS- I prefer the politically incorrect term) are the neutral site location, and the position in the early part of the season’s calendar. The neutral site is key for a program that has national aspirations because it means that we never have to play our chief rival (almost always an elite team) in a hostile stadium. Of course, the flip side is that we never get the home field advantage either. Why would this be an advantage?

It’s an advantage because sometimes we do actually have the best team in the nation. Sometimes OU has the best team in the nation. In those years, our programs get to make title runs and play a huge matchup game on a neutral field, where the better team should win. I know there are periods when one program is regularly stronger than the other. The coach of the weaker team might prefer a home game to break a RRS losing streak. Too bad. The current setup is the best for MNC runs.

The schedule date for the game is significant in that it vaults the winner into the national consciousness. It’s usually a terrific game, often nationally televised. Most big rivalry games are late in the season, as teams’ fortunes have mostly played out. Sure, Michigan/OSU or ND/USC gives us a significant matchups sometimes. They don’t match up top 5 undefeated teams as often as the RRS does. They can’t.

Well, I’ve made some claims. Can I back them up? Sure. Here goes.

Since 1950, Texas has come into the RRS undefeated and untied, and left the same way 15 times (’51, ‘58, ‘59, ‘61, ‘62, ‘63, ‘64, ‘65, ‘69, ‘70, ‘77, ‘80, ‘81, ‘83, and ‘05). Texas left every one of those victories rated in the Top 4 except for 1958 (the game SRR discusses, where UT came into Dallas #11 and left #7). Actually, Texas has been ranked #1 or #2 in every year it came out of Dallas undefeated since 1962. Texas won four MNCs in those years (’63, ‘69, ‘70, and ‘05), and played for a MNC on the season’s last day twice more (’77 and ‘83).

Since 1950, OU has come into the RRS undefeated and untied, and left the same way 19 times (’50, ‘54, ‘55, ‘56, ‘57, ‘66, ‘71, ‘72, ‘74, ‘70, ‘75, ‘78, ‘85, ‘87, ‘93, ‘00, ‘01, ‘02, ‘03, ‘04, and ‘05). I don’t know OU’s rank after those wins (perhaps one of you Sooners can make yourself useful by finding out). OU won seven MNCs in those years (’50, ‘55, ‘56, ‘74, ‘75, ‘85, and ‘00), and played for a MNC on the season’s last day three more times (’87, ‘03 and ‘04).

Is that enough proof for you that there is something special about this game? In the last 58 years, it has produced 11 MNCs (19%), and teams playing for a MNC the final game 16 times (27.6%). In the 34 times that one of the teams has come in undefeated and untied, and won, they have played for a MNC 16 times. In other words, in this game, where both teams are unbeaten, the winner has almost even odds that they will be playing in the BCS title game, arguably.

Are you seeing that this is a big game, structured to launch the winner on a title run?

There are other nice aspects to the RRS arrangement. It’s the biggest college game in DFW every year (especially since the Cotton Bowl New Year’s Game dropped in status), and really the only college game that can compete with the Dallas Cowboys. This has given Texas and OU a big recruiting advantage in the North Texas area. It’s no coincidence that TCU’s and SMU’s glory days are all before 1950. The RRS sucks all of the air out of the room, so to speak.

There is always talk of changing the format. Some change is inevitable.  The RRS switch to a conference game seems to not matter, except that the loser has a harder time salvaging a season than before. I think switching to a home-and-away is a really bad idea. I don’t see any neutral site games that have made that switch being better off. Either it becomes just another conference game (Alabama/Auburn), or they forget why they even need to play (Ol’ Miss/Arkansas).

I think the State Fair makes for a special atmosphere. I don’t know that the game has to be played there to keep its stature. I, personally, am open to a move to the Cowboys’ Stadium (disclosure- I live 2.5 miles due west).

The Ags and Hogs are planning to grab some of our goodness next year, with a series in the new Cowboys’ Stadium. They seem to think that the format is special. I don’t think it will work the way they want it to.  One of the downsides to the RRS is that if your program is not humming along at peak efficiency, you run a real threat of a series of high-profile drillings.  At the RRS, our hatred carries us through that.  I don’t know if that will be sufficient for TAMU and Arkansas if one sees an ugly losing streak form.

The sad truth is that it is easier to destroy a program asset like the RRS than create one.

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22 Responses

  1. ftf said:

    October 7th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    getch yer popcorn ready

  2. fbomb said:

    October 7th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    I went to the fair yesterday with the wife and kids and the old girl (the Cotton Bowl – not my wife) looks great on the outside.

    I didn’t get a tour but see the picture linked above…

    I wish they had gotten the 92,200 seats before Jerry-world started because I would walk through South Dallas in the dark to get to Texas / OU during the fair… nothing compares.

  3. fbomb said:

    October 7th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    Now for that link I promised:
    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/2838538826_55a0543bcd_o.jpg

    More at wikipedia also..

  4. Bob in Houston said:

    October 7th, 2008 at 3:32 pm

    I can get those OU rankings… gimme a little time…

  5. Evil E said:

    October 7th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    Outstanding analysis. Next time my wife questions my need to attend yet another TX/OU game (this will be my 23rd in a row), I will pull up this post to show her the metaphysical consequences that are at stake.

  6. Bob in Houston said:

    October 7th, 2008 at 5:44 pm

    OU in AP poll after Texas game
    ’50 – 2nd
    ’54 – 1st
    ’55 – 3rd
    ’56 – 1st
    ’57 – 2nd
    ’66 – arv (top 10 poll)
    ’71 – 2nd
    ’72 – 2nd
    ’74 – 2nd
    ’75 – 2nd
    ’78 – 1st
    ’85 – 3rd
    ’87 – 1st
    ’93 – 9th
    ’00 – 8th
    ’01 – 3rd
    ’02 – 2nd
    ’03 – 1st
    ’04 – 2nd

  7. BrickHorn said:

    October 7th, 2008 at 6:18 pm

    I think the State Fair makes for a special atmosphere. I don’t know that the game has to be played there to keep its stature. I, personally, am open to a move to the Cowboys’ Stadium (disclosure- I live 2.5 miles due west).

    You, sir, are a Satan-worshipping communist.

  8. Beergut said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 12:03 am

    “The Ags and Hogs are planning to grab some of our goodness next year, with a series in the new Cowboys’ Stadium. They seem to think that the format is special. I don’t think it will work the way they want it to.”

    Actually, the insistence that the State Fair atmosphere makes texas-OU so “special” is hurting your program financially. texas and OU signed a long-term contract tying them to the Cotton Bowl for less money than the 10 year contract A&M and Arkansas have with Jerryworld.
    Basically, A&M gets a neutral site, non-conference game with a regional opponent in a brand new facility for a bowl-type paycheck, while y’all continue to play in the Cotton Bowl b/c of “the atmosphere” provided by the State Fair.
    A&M doesn’t want any of the “goodness” y’all get from the Fair, what they want was the paycheck, and they’re getting a bigger one than texas or Oklahoma.
    This is Bill Byrne’s attempt to force some extortion on Aggies b/c he figures if the A&M-Arkansas game becomes a desirable ticket, he can force Aggies to donate or require buying season tickets just to get a shot at acquiring tickets for a neutral site game. I think this gamble, like several of Byrne’s others (giving Fran an extension, not firing him after the ‘05 season, giving Melvin Watkins a contract extension, etc.), will fail.

    While OU may threaten to force the series home-and-home every once in a while, they will never follow through with it, b/c they need the Dallas game for recruiting. If texas insisted on the home-and-home format, OU would look into playing A&M in Dallas every year, just to ensure they get a game in front of North Texas recruits.

    “Either it becomes just another conference game (Alabama/Auburn), ”

    Uh, do you even watch college football? The Iron Bowl is anything but “just another conference game”. The Iron Bowl makes texas-OU look like child’s play.

  9. TXinDC said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 4:57 am

    Beergut, you simply are the worst, on any and all message boards. Can’t you stick to trolling just ONE Texas site?

    I’m glad your team’s financial motivation for scheduling games is what keeps you interested.

  10. B-Train said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 5:02 am

    “The Iron Bowl makes texas-OU look like child’s play.”

    You gotta be kidding me?

  11. TaylorTRoom said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 5:06 am

    The Iron Bowl is a hard fought, alternate sight, intra-state rivalry game that is occasionally a MNC contender’s final hurdle. It is often a very, very good game. In that, it is like Michigan/tOSU.

    It is not Texas/OU. I repeat what was posted above. Either Texas or OU will win Saturday. The winner has a 50% chance of playing in the BCS MNC game.

  12. Buddy Garrity said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 5:25 am

    RRS is truly unique. Only game that comes close to this atmosphere is Georgia/Florida fka World’s Largest Cocktail Party. Still doesn’t compare though as the implications of winning have not been as significant as TX/OU. And Jacksonville, FL does not compare to environment at Texas State Fair.

  13. TaylorTRoom said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 5:47 am

    Georgia/Florida needs more time. The RRS has been a major national game for 60 years. georgia/Florida needs a few more decades of elite teams.

  14. Huckleberry said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 6:13 am

    Beergut -

    Why do you insist on not capitalizing the name of your home state just to try and get a dig in at your alma mater’s main rival? I’m honestly curious. It seems rather pointless and self-defeating.

    And I’m not really trying to get into the inferiority complex or the fact that Aggies always seem bitter when involving themselves in Texas/OU discussions. Just that this one thing you keep doing seems kind of dumb.

  15. Dave Becker said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 8:43 am

    “Since 1950, OU has come into the RRS undefeated and untied, and left the same way 19 times (’50, ‘54, ‘55, ‘56, ‘57, ‘66, ‘71, ‘72, ‘74, ‘70, ‘75, ‘78, ‘85, ‘87, ‘93, ‘00, ‘01, ‘02, ‘03, ‘04, and ‘05).”

    Also, 1979.

  16. Dave Becker said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 8:44 am

    “Since 1950, Texas has come into the RRS undefeated and untied, and left the same way 15 times (’51, ‘58, ‘59, ‘61, ‘62, ‘63, ‘64, ‘65, ‘69, ‘70, ‘77, ‘80, ‘81, ‘83, and ‘05). ”

    + 1979.

  17. Bob in Houston said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 11:19 am

    Well, it’s not like me to pick nits (snicker), but I don’t think OU left the game undefeated in ‘05.

  18. steven said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 1:41 pm

    RRS is great just as long as one team (especially OU) does not go on to dominate the series for an extended period of time, as the present situation is in danger of heading, if Stoops keeps kicking Mack’s butt on the field, over and over again. At some point if this keeps happening (UT getting its butt kicked annually by OU), then some folks on some level are going to be crying out “FOUL” in one form or another, and ultimately it will be heard by some other folks on some level who matter in this equation or who can matter in this equation. So the point being, Stoops, if you can hear me and for the good of your own cheating ass, quit butt stomping on Mack on a yearly basis. You should know better than to do that, enough is enough and 6 out of the last 8 is quite frankly enough, Stoops.

  19. Beergut said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    “Why do you insist on not capitalizing the name of your home state just to try and get a dig in at your alma mater’s main rival? I’m honestly curious. It seems rather pointless and self-defeating.”

    I differentiate between texas (the school) and Texas (the state).

  20. Willie Mack Garza said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    You’re an asshole. And probably fat.

  21. r churchman said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 5:13 pm

    wmg are you still 100% soulbrother?

  22. Willie Mack Garza said:

    October 8th, 2008 at 8:09 pm

    Word.

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