Oklahoma
How Oklahoma Players Prepare Newcomers for Red River Rivalry, an Experience Like No Other
Every Oklahoma player who was asked simply struggled to find the words to describe the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl.
The Sooners will travel down to Dallas to play Texas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the usual spot in the epicenter of The State Fair of Texas. The teams will bus through a state fair crowd, rather than a college campus. One half of the stadium will be as homey as Norman, while the other is as hostile as Austin.
“Embrace it,” OU linebacker Kobie McKinzie said. “You can’t really explain that. We’ve all been there for that game. From the moment you literally drive in the fairgrounds it’s like no other game. It’s not comparable. But enjoy it at the same time. These are the moments that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life.”
The Longhorns currently sit at the top of college football, while OU is ranked 18th in the AP Poll. But even during a season in which Texas won the Big 12 title and made the final four-team College Football Playoff, the Sooners still got the best of the Longhorns thanks to a goal line stand.
“The very end, the fourth-down stop, fourth-and-inches, that was really fun,” OU defensive end Trace Ford remembers a year later. “That was one of the coolest things I got to experience, just how loud that stadium got. Just the whole atmosphere after the game, walking around. The whole experience was nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. It was really fun.”
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Last season was Ford’s first experience in the Red River Rivalry. As an Oklahoma State transfer, he has been on both sides of Bedlam. From nearby Edmond, OK, he grew up watching OU and Texas clash from the comfort of home. But still, nothing prepared him for actually being there – no other rivalry, no amount of viewing from afar.
Ford understands now, though, but many others throughout OU’s locker room do not. Maybe they also grew up watching the game on TV or played in rivalry games at their old schools, but not like this one.
The Sooners nearly overhauled their roster with transfers and freshmen for the 2024 season. Michael Hawkins Jr. will become the first true freshman to ever start at QB in the Red River Rivalry for the Sooners. On defense, Ford will be alongside eight guys on the defensive line alone projected to make their Red River debut Saturday, including Miami (OH) transfer Caiden Woullard.
“He’s been asking, and I didn’t understand the spectrum of the game until last year,” Ford said. “I watched that game growing up my whole life, and I told him the same thing. You got to experience it. It’s incredible. It’s fun, and he’s got to experience it. But you know he’s confident. He’s ready. I know he’s going to do really well this Saturday.”
Said defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings: “This’ll probably be the biggest rivalry you’ll ever play in in your life, but it is just another game, but it is a cool experience. Just soak it all in.”
On a Thursday afternoon, and even most Saturdays, there’s nothing special about the Cotton Bowl. Most of the time, it’s a dormant cement structure in the center of the quietfairgrounds. It makes for a longer walk from the Fletcher’s Corny Dog stand to Big Tex. There’s nothing special enough about the venue itself for regular tours or to even keep hosting its own bowl game. But for one Saturday every October, when the Sooners and Longhorns are visiting for the Red River Rivalry, it’s a spectacle you cannot comprehend until experienced.
“I like it, to be honest with you,” McKinizie said. “I love it. Because everybody’s right there. There’s nowhere to go, I feel like. It’s all inclusive. Everybody gets the same experience, ’cause it’s only one experience of the Red River, you know?”
A local lawmaker is introducing a bill to prohibit obscene materials in Oklahoma public school libraries.
Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, filed legislation this week, House Bill 2978, that would update state law and prohibit the acquisition of materials that meet Oklahoma’s legal definition of obscenity.
The bill removes references to subjective community standards and relies on established statute, according to Banning.
“This legislation provides a straightforward statewide rule that helps ensure school libraries stay within the definition of education,” Banning said. “According to Black’s Law Dictionary, education is defined as providing proper moral, intellectual and physical instruction.”
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The Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-5, 1-0 SEC) will host Xzayvier Brown and the Oklahoma Sooners (11-3, 1-0 SEC) at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The game tips at 7 p.m. ET.
In the article below, we’ll give you all the info you need to watch this matchup on TV.
As college hoops matchups continue, prepare for the contest with everything you need to know about Wednesday’s game.
Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma: How to watch on TV or live stream
- Game day: Wednesday, January 7, 2026
- Game time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Starkville, Mississippi
- Arena: Humphrey Coliseum
- TV Channel: SEC Network
- Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)
Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Watch college basketball on Fubo!
Oklahoma vs. Mississippi State stats and trends
- On offense, Oklahoma is averaging 87.3 points per game (29th-ranked in college basketball). It is surrendering 72.2 points per contest at the other end (153rd-ranked).
- The Sooners are averaging 34.8 boards per game (99th-ranked in college basketball) this year, while allowing 29.1 rebounds per contest (85th-ranked).
- Oklahoma is delivering 16.7 assists per game, which ranks them 67th in college basketball in 2025-26.
- The Sooners are forcing 11.1 turnovers per game this year (240th-ranked in college basketball), but they’ve averaged only 8.9 turnovers per game (eighth-best).
- Oklahoma is draining 10.5 threes per game (28th-ranked in college basketball). It has a 35.6% shooting percentage (94th-ranked) from three-point land.
- The Sooners rank 283rd in college basketball with 8.6 treys allowed per game this year. Meanwhile, they rank 317th with a 36.1% shooting percentage allowed from three-point land.
- In terms of shot breakdown, Oklahoma has taken 53.1% two-pointers (accounting for 65.7% of the team’s baskets) and 46.9% three-pointers (34.3%).
Oklahoma vs. Mississippi State Odds and Spread
- Spread Favorite: Sooners (-1.5)
- Moneyline: Oklahoma (-116), Mississippi State (-104)
- Total: 159.5 points
NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 3:47 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Watch college basketball on Fubo!
Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.
OKLA. — Oklahomans who need help paying their heating bills can now apply for winter energy assistance through Oklahoma Human Services.
State officials announced Tuesday that online applications are open for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
The federally funded program helps qualifying households cover the cost of their primary heating source during the winter months.
Applications can be submitted online at OKDHSlive.org.
LIHEAP is offered twice each year — once during the winter for heating costs and again in the summer to help with cooling expenses.
Oklahoma Human Services also operates the Energy Crisis Assistance Program, which opens in the spring, along with year-round help for life-threatening energy emergencies.
Some households already receiving benefits through Oklahoma Human Services may be automatically approved for winter assistance and do not need to apply.
Those households have already been notified. Others who receive state assistance but are not pre-approved are encouraged to apply online.
Eligible households may receive one LIHEAP payment per year for winter heating, which is applied directly to their main energy source.
A household is defined as anyone sharing the same utility meter or energy supply.
Native American households may apply through Oklahoma Human Services or their tribal nation, but not both for the same program during the same federal fiscal year.
Income limits vary by household size. For example, a single-person household may earn up to $1,696 per month, while a family of four may earn up to $3,483 per month.
Larger households have higher income thresholds.
Applicants will need their most recent heating bill, a photo ID, Social Security number and proof of income.
Officials stress that utility information must be entered exactly as it appears on the bill.
Oklahoma Human Services expects high demand during the enrollment period and encourages applicants to apply online for faster processing.
Households with shutoff notices are not given priority and are urged to continue making payments or work with their utility providers to avoid service interruptions.
Funding for the winter heating program is limited, and applications will close once funds are exhausted.
The state has also announced tentative enrollment dates for other energy assistance programs in 2026:
- Energy Crisis Assistance Program: April 14
- Summer Cooling Assistance: July 14
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