Will the NHL’s newest club finish as one of the highest-scoring teams in the league? Will Pierre-Luc Dubois finally find a long-term home with the Washington Capitals? Are players like Juraj Slafkovský going to make a significant jump in their production?

Those were among the responses The Athletic got this week when it asked its NHL staff for their bold predictions for the 2024-25 season.

Here’s one prediction for each team as the early regular season continues.

Trevor Zegras will not be traded this season: You want bold? How about running counter to the prevailing theory the Ducks are destined to move their mercurial 23-year-old forward? In the Pretend NHL (i.e., hockey social media), hasn’t he been traded about 1,000 times? But it didn’t make sense for Anaheim to deal Zegras after an injury-plagued 2023-24 season when his trade value took a hit. He’d do well to make this season one of vengeance, and the Ducks ought to at least try putting him in the best position to flourish. Now the “this season” qualifier is in there since he still has next year left on his contract and some kind of trade could get worked on next summer. General manager Pat Verbeek could go the Jamie Drysdale route with a big player-for-player swap, but the Ducks need more gifted offensive players, not fewer. Bonus bold prediction: Cutter Gauthier will win the Calder Trophy. You’ll remember this when it’s wrong but just do the same if it happens to be right. — Eric Stephens

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Jeremy Swayman will struggle early: Swayman missed all of training camp. He is entering his first season without Linus Ullmark as his partner. He has to deal with the pressure of being the fourth-highest-paid active goalie in the league. Thursday’s four-goal start won’t be the last hiccup. — Fluto Shinzawa

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Owen Power will double his previous high-goal total: Power hasn’t scored more than six goals in a season during his short NHL career, but he looks poised for an uptick in that department. His shot is noticeably stronger this season as he added strength over the summer. The Sabres have also emphasized creating more traffic in front of the net. As a result, Power had two goals in the preseason and already has one in the regular season. A goal total of at least 12 isn’t out of the question. — Matthew Fairburn

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OP nets the first Sabres goal of the season ⚔️#LetsGoBuffalo | #NHLGlobalSeries pic.twitter.com/cfmt0x7Zws

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 4, 2024

Jonathan Huberdeau will crack the 80-point plateau: Huberdeau has 107 points combined over his last two seasons in Calgary. So, why the optimism around him? Partially because it cannot get any lower than his near-pointless month of December last season. Huberdeau played well after that, even if his season ended with fewer points than his debut Flames campaign. Another part is because the Flames are banking on his establishing chemistry with Anthony Mantha. They’ve played together most of, if not all, preseason and have shown flashes that they can be an ideal duo alongside Martin Pospisil. Huberdeau should also get his usual PP1 minutes to start the year. Finally, the pressure to succeed in Calgary is much lower compared with his first two seasons. — Julian McKenzie

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Seth Jarvis will get a shot at center: The Hurricanes have their No. 1 center in Sebastian Aho, but finding a player to slot behind him has been difficult. Last year’s Evgeny Kuznetsov acquisition flopped, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been unable to hold on to the job despite several chances. Jarvis has already proved to be one of the best defensive wingers in hockey, and something this season — ineffectiveness from Kotkaniemi and Jack Drury or an injury — will convince coach Rod Brind’Amour, at least in the short term, to give Jarvis a shot in the middle. — Cory Lavalette

The Blackhawks will finish 25 points better than last season: The Blackhawks might end up being near the bottom of the league again, but they should do so with a much higher point total than their 52 last season. — Scott Powers

Can Cale Makar, who recorded 90 points last season, reach the century mark in 2024-25? (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

Cale Makar will have 100 points: Only one defenseman has reached the century mark in the last 30 years: Erik Karlsson two years ago for San Jose. Makar finished with 90 points in 77 games last year, and I expect an even bigger 2024-25. He finished top 10 in the league (and led all defensemen) with 39 points on the power play a season ago, and Colorado’s power play could be even more potent this season. Makar should play upward of 26 minutes per game, most of which will be shared with the Avs’ high-powered top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. This could be Makar’s best season yet. — Jesse Granger

Yegor Chinakhov will bloom as a goal scorer: Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson have performed this preseason as if they’re ready to be breakout players in 2024-25, but there’s another youngster who tends to exist below the spotlight. Chinakhov, who had 16 goals in 53 games last season, is going to get a much bigger role than the 15:10 per game he played. With Boone Jenner out long-term with an upper-body injury, Chinakhov has moved up to the top line with center Sean Monahan and right winger Kirill Marchenko. Chinakhov, if he remains healthy, could easily score 25 goals or more. — Aaron Portzline

The Stars will win the Stanley Cup: Honestly, I’m not even sure this qualifies as “bold.” The Stars have become a model NHL franchise, with general manager Jim Nill building a team that’s deep, talented, and features a perfect blending of youth and veteran savvy. Losing Chris Tanev to Toronto hurt, but the Stars will be buyers again at the trade deadline, and if there are any holes to plug, they’ll be plugged. Much of this prediction hinges on Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson returning to form after surprisingly ordinary 2023-24 campaigns (by their lofty standards). The guess here is they both do, and the Cup stays in the Sun Belt for the third straight year, and the fifth time in the last six years. — Mark Lazerus

Dylan Larkin will score 40 goals: The Red Wings haven’t had a 40-goal scorer since Marian Hossa in 2008-09. But Larkin came closer than you might realize to changing that last season: He finished with 33 goals in 68 games, which over an 82-game season totals out to a 39.7-goal pace. He’s found a whole new level as a scorer over the past three seasons, and Detroit has finally surrounded him with the kind of talent needed to threaten 40. The question now is just health, as he hasn’t played a full 82 games since 2017-18. He hit 80 just two seasons ago, though, and if he can do that again, I think it’ll be enough to make this prediction come true. — Max Bultman

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Stuart Skinner will finish top five in Vezina voting: Skinner was solid in the playoffs save for the Vancouver series and enters the season as an undisputed No. 1 goalie for the first time in his career. He should be primed for a breakout campaign. With a Stanley Cup-contending team in front of him, there’s no reason to think that shouldn’t happen. But this won’t be a case of Skinner simply riding his teammates’ coattails. The defensive group has some major question marks. The PK, so outstanding in the postseason, has undergone significant turnover. Skinner will deserve his roses for an excellent season. A likely spot on Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off tourney will only increase the spotlight on him and give NHL GMs — the voters on this award — more reason to cast ballots in his favor. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

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Adam Boqvist will break out: Florida didn’t make many offseason changes as it already has a championship core in place. Don’t mess with what works. We’re still going to predict the Panthers work their magic on 24-year-old Boqvist, their latest defensive reclamation project. He showed some power-play chops and transition ability in his time with the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets, and the Panthers have certainly shown an organizational knack for putting their defensemen in position to succeed. — Sean Gentille

Quinton Byfield will become the Kings’ best player: Let’s see, the Kings could be a team in danger of missing the playoffs, but they’ve got enough to at least nab a wild-card spot in the West so I’m not going to provide any receipts for that. But Byfield is giving off the vibe that he wants to be a star after a confidence-building 20-goal, 55-point breakout 2023-24 season. He had a hat trick in the preseason and was clicking with Kevin Fiala, who fed off the big center’s speed. Byfield was winning faceoffs in a decisive manner. He looks more confident with his shot and has the size and improving hands to do damage at the net. The Kings need an heir apparent to Anze Kopitar as their 1C. Byfield will take those big steps toward becoming The Guy. “He’s much more mature than he was a few years ago, physically,” Kings GM Rob Blake said. “We saw his ability to play some there last year, and we expect him to continue to grow there.” — Eric Stephens

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QUINTON BYFIELD.

TOUR DU CHAPEAU 🎩🎩🎩

4-1 LAK pic.twitter.com/pCeGBWtqWp

— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 4, 2024

Matt Boldy will score 40 goals and 40 assists: General manager Bill Guerin has predicted 50 goals and 50 assists at some point in Boldy’s future. We’ll be a hair more conservative for this season, while still being bold enough to establish a new career high (previously 69 points). When John Hynes talks about Boldy, he salivates, and for good reason. Boldy scored 28 goals and 61 points in 63 games (a 36-goal, 79-point 82-game pace) under Hynes last season. Then, Hynes coached Boldy at the World Championship, and the United States right wing led the tournament in scoring with 14 points in eight games. Boldy didn’t play any exhibition games due to a lower-body injury, but the 23-year-old opened 2024-25 with 3 points in his first game. — Michael Russo

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Boldy coming in hot 🥵 pic.twitter.com/TIHbV0JAL7

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 11, 2024

Juraj Slafkovský will hit 70 points: With the way Slafkovský finished last season and entering this season firmly established on the Canadiens’ top line and top power-play unit, the conditions are ripe for Slafkovský to make a 20-point jump in his production from last season. The vastly improved playmaking we saw from him over the second half of last season will be the driving force behind the more than 40 percent jump in production. — Arpon Basu

Juuse Saros will win the Vezina Trophy: Saros begins the season with a lower-body injury, but it won’t be long before the Preds are relying on him, heavily, after he signed an eight-year deal with a $7.74 million AAV in the offseason. Players don’t always reach their highest level right after signing big deals, but Saros now has clarity — the organization chose him over top prospect Yaroslav Askarov — and that figures to help him. So should getting support from skaters in their second season in Andrew Brunette’s system. It’s time for Saros to win one. — Joe Rexrode

The Devils will finish with the East’s best record: I’m high on the Devils after their offseason additions. Jacob Markström is a monster upgrade in net, and Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon are big boosts to a defensive corps that missed Ryan Graves and Damon Severson last year. That, paired with growth in young players, should make New Jersey formidable, at least in the regular season. — Peter Baugh

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Noah Dobson will score 70 points again — and get a big extension: Dobson moved into a different tier of NHL defenseman last season, not only producing at an elite level but also playing major minutes while Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield were out with injuries. A healthy defense will allow Dobson to avoid being overworked while still letting him impress. So he’ll join Denis Potvin as the only Isles defenseman with multiple 70-point seasons and he’ll secure the bag, too: an eight-year extension around Ilya Sorokin’s $8.25 million per year. — Arthur Staple

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Igor Shesterkin will win the Vezina Trophy: We’ve seen Shesterkin handle pressure well. He has a career .928 save percentage in the playoffs and was by far the Rangers’ best player last postseason. Well, with his contract set to expire next summer, he’s going to be facing pressure this season. Shesterkin already has the cachet to expect to be the highest-paid goalie in the league. A monster season reminiscent of his 2021-22 one will further increase that belief, and the Rangers will have to decide how much they’re willing to pay to keep him. — Peter Baugh

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Travis Green will win the Jack Adams Award: If the Senators make the playoffs this season, the coach will get a lot of credit for his team’s upward swing. The young nucleus of talent is already in place and they’ve added a goaltender. The Senators just need a coach who can bring them to that next level. Green has coached a team to the playoffs before, albeit once. If he ends Ottawa’s playoff drought, he should be considered a front-runner for coach of the year. — Julian McKenzie

The Flyers will have a top-15 power play: What, that doesn’t sound bold enough? Well, consider the Flyers have had the league’s worst power play for each of the last three seasons. Last season, at just 12.2 percent, they were nearly 3 full percentage points behind the 31st-ranked Blue Jackets. But with Matvei Michkov now here and coming off of a stellar preseason, and what looks to be a healthy Jamie Drysdale moving well and quarterbacking the top unit, the potential is there for the Flyers to drastically improve with a man advantage. — Kevin Kurz

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Tic-Tac-Goal. @tfoerster8 nets our first tally of the season with a PPG. Credit @FarabeeJoel and @BobbyBrink19 with the helpers. #PHIvsVAN | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/m1vnc3IfKk

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 12, 2024

Marcus Pettersson will become a trade-deadline commodity: In his prime and a steady top-four defender, Pettersson is an impending UFA. He’s the type of defenseman GMs tend to keep from testing the market. But Kyle Dubas seems to know his Penguins are closer to the lottery than the Cup, and his decision not to sign Pettersson before the season suggests Pettersson will become this season’s Jake Guentzel in Pittsburgh. — Rob Rossi

A marker for Marcus 🚨 pic.twitter.com/SuDgelEwct

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 11, 2024

San Jose Sharks

William Eklund will lead the team in scoring: Sure, there was the temptation to call Macklin Celebrini the Calder Trophy winner in this space. But is that really a bold pick given that he goes into this season as a leading Calder contender in a strong rookie class? The 18-year-old will no doubt have some impressive moments, and we shouldn’t discount the impact his potential running mate Will Smith could have as a fellow rookie. Eklund, who turns 22 on Saturday, is a slightly unconventional pick. The left wing quietly emerged in the second half of last season with 27 points in his final 35 games. He’s going to start out on the top line with Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli while figuring in their power play. It could be a balanced group atop San Jose’s point list, but to follow our Sean McIndoe’s lead of oddly specific predictions, we’ll say Eklund will have 26 goals and 40 assists for 66 points. — Eric Stephens

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Matty Beniers will score 30 goals: Beniers went through a difficult sophomore slump in his second NHL campaign, but he remains a gifted, assertive young center with a swashbuckling style and game-breaking bona fides, which he proved in his rookie year. Beniers is going to return to form and then some in his third campaign, scoring 30 goals and re-establishing himself as one of the NHL’s most promising young pivots. — Thomas Drance

Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway’s success will lead to more offer sheets: Broberg has been physical and Holloway fast so far. It’s early, so why is that important? Because Broberg and Holloway are exactly what the club needed, and the way general manager Doug Armstrong acquired them from the Oilers was via offer-sheet contracts. In the rare instance when offer sheets are executed, many wonder whether they will lead to more, and in reality, the answer has been no. But with the new ceilings and expected success for Broberg and Holloway in St. Louis, there could be an uptick. — Jeremy Rutherford

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Andrei Vasilevskiy will be a Vezina Trophy finalist: Vasilevskiy will show that his lackluster 2023-24 season was due to back surgery. With a healthy offseason to train and time to get back on track, he will pick up where he left off in 2022-23 with his usual game-breaking play. Vasilevskiy showed he can be the difference despite defensive struggles in front of him in 2022-23. With the return of Ryan McDonagh and the addition of Jake Guentzel, he should have more two-way support, which will help him get back to his former heights. — Shayna Goldman

Can Mitch Marner, known for his passing skills, reach 40 goals this season? (Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

Mitch Marner will score 40 goals: This is a kind of a long shot given Marner’s primary skill and instinct is passing and he happens to play with the top goal scorer in the NHL today, Auston Matthews. Yet, Marner scores more than he gets credit for. In the last three seasons, he scored only one goal fewer (91) than John Tavares and did so in 18 fewer games. Marner scored at a 30-goal pace last season, hit 30 on the nose the year before that, and buried 35 goals in only 72 games during the 2021-22 season, a 40-goal pace. Getting to 40 would require Marner to look for his own shot more than he often does and probably garner some shooting luck along the way, more than his current career best of 16.5 percent. At some point, maybe even this season, I expect him to get there or come close at the very least. — Jonas Siegel

They will finish as one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams: It’s a given Utah is going to be an exciting hockey club to watch, what with the energy in the new market, weird building and all its young stars. But its collection of talent is such that it could quickly rise to the ranks of the most dangerous offensive teams, too. Clayton Keller could score 40, as could Dylan Guenther. It’s not out of the question as many as eight Hockey Clubbers hit the 20 mark, which should push them into the top 10 leaguewide. — James Mirtle

Elias Pettersson will bounce back and lead the team in scoring: Pettersson struggled enormously down the stretch and into the playoffs last season, and Canucks fans are beginning to lose patience with their superstar center. In the club’s first game of the campaign, after Pettersson lost the handle on a deke by the offensive blue line, the Rogers Arena crowd reacted with something of a Bronx cheer. Granted the club had frittered away two separate 3-goal leads, so frustration was running high, but it still encapsulates the pressure Pettersson is under. Despite all of that noise, Pettersson remains a star performer. A pivot with 40-goal, 100-point upside. With Vancouver emphasizing attacking off the rush this season, and talented wingers like Daniel Sprong and Jake DeBrusk on his line, we predict Pettersson will bounce back and outscore all other Canucks skaters during the 2024-25 regular season. — Thomas Drance

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Pavel Dorofeyev will finish second on the team in goals: Dorofeyev showed he could score as a rookie with 13 goals in 47 games last year for the Golden Knights. He has a deceptive release on his wrist shots and a knack for finding pucks in front of the net. Now, projected to play alongside pass-first forwards such as Mark Stone, William Karlsson and/or Tomas Hertl, Dorofeyev is in a great position to produce at an even higher rate in 2024-25. — Jesse Granger

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Washington Capitals

The Pierre-Luc Dubois deal will pay off: It’s hard to imagine predicting anything bolder than Dubois finally finding a long-term home, so we’ll go with that. He’ll give the Caps what he was supposed to give the Kings — productive two-way play from a high-end second-line center. Does that mean they’ll get their $8.5 million worth? Let’s not get greedy. Still, 70 points would go a long way toward rehabbing his reputation and putting the Caps back in the playoff conversation. — Sean Gentille

Nikolaj Ehlers will play out the season and then walk as a UFA: As part of a longer conversation about his future, Ehlers said: “We talk. Chevy, my agent. There’s communication.” Ehlers understands we all want answers about his future but conveyed that, at his core, he himself is unsure what comes next — a contract extension, a trade, or a summer 2025 departure to free agency. The idea of ongoing conversations could create a sense of optimism: Winnipeg has certainly shown itself to be capable of signing big-ticket players late in the game. It would also be sensible for Winnipeg to shop Ehlers at the deadline if it can’t sign him, instead of losing him for nothing next summer. My wild October stab at it says the Jets keep Ehlers for the playoffs, address their defense a different way if need be, and then Ehlers picks a team that gives him more than the sixth-most minutes per game among forwards. — Murat Ates

(Illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic. Photos: Jamie Sabau, Jason Mowry / Getty Images; Vincent Ethier / Icon Sportswire)

No. 13 LSU stunned No. 9 Ole Miss with dramatic game-tying and then game-winning touchdowns for a 29-26 overtime win on Saturday. The win re-affirmed LSU’s continued dominance over its SEC rival at home, extending a decade and a half long streak. 

Ole Miss had not won a game in Death Valley since 2008, and it has also not won back-to-back games in the rivalry since 2008-09. Both of those streaks will continue after Saturday. 

Ole Miss was one play away from ending those streaks and earning a huge win to bolster its CFP resume. 

In the final minute of the fourth quarter, LSU trailed by seven, facing 4th down from the Ole Miss 23 yard line. Ole Miss had over a 94% chance to win at that point, per ESPN calculations. But then LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw a 23 yard touchdown pass to Aaron Anderson to tie the game. 

Then in overtime, Ole Miss only managed a field goal, but LSU answered with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kyren Lacy to end it.

LSU caught a few breaks throughout the game to keep its chances alive.

LSU recovered a fumble just before half time to steal a late field goal, which kept  the deficit at just four at halftime. Ole Miss running back Henry Parish turned the ball over when his team was simply trying to run out the clock.

But LSU could not capitalize on a similar situation in the fourth quarter. After a strip-sack fumble of Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, LSU kicker Damian Ramos missed wide right from 46 yards out.

OLE MISS RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS OF THEIR PLAYERS FAKING INJURIES AHEAD OF BIG GAME AGAINST LSU

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 12: Jaxson Dart #2 of the Ole Miss Rebels runs the ball against the LSU Tigers during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images)

Then, with Ole Miss up just four, LSU held the Rebels to a field goal on the ensuing drive to keep it a one-possession game. LSU needed a touchdown to tie. LSU responded with the game-tying score in the very next drive. 

Nusseimer finished with game with three touchdown passes and 337 passing yards after starting the game with two interceptions.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 12: Garrett Nussmeier #13 of the LSU Tigers runs out of the pocket against the Ole Miss Rebels during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ((Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images))

Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart passed for 284 yards with one touchdown and one interception as wide receivers Cayden Lee and Tre Harris led the way with over 100 receiving yards each.

LSU came into the game off a four-game winning streak, but two of those wins were against weaker teams in UCLA and South Alabama

LSU coach Brian Kelly and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin are the only active coaches in the conference with 100 career FBS wins. Kiffin has earned 39 of those wins since coming to Mississippi. Kiffin would have become the fastest to 40 wins in Ole Miss program history if his team held on Saturday.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

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Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has seen it all in his 15 trips to the Cotton Bowl for the Oklahoma-Texas rivalry game, long known as the Red River Shootout.

He remembers losing his first as a Sooners assistant 38-28 in 1999 but dominating the Longhorns 63-14 the next year en route to a national championship. There was Oklahoma 65, Texas 13 in 2003, the 12-0 “Red River Shutout” in 2004, and plenty of unpredictable swings and wild finishes since. The emotions, the big plays, the bus rides through the State Fair of Texas to the Cotton Bowl all make it special to him.

“It feels like time stands still,” Venables said.

But there’s one thing Venables has yet to do in this one-of-a-kind rivalry game: eat a Fletcher’s Corny Dog.

“I have never eaten anything at the fair other than what they bring me on the bus afterward,” he said.

To some Oklahoma and Texas fans, this revelation could qualify as heresy. Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, a staple of Texas’ state fair for more than 80 years, have become almost synonymous with the rivalry game. On Saturday morning, when the gates open at Dallas’ Fair Park and tens of thousands of crimson- or burnt-orange-clad fans wander onto the fairgrounds, many of them will make a beeline for a Fletcher’s stand.

Saturday will be the 120th meeting of the Sooners and Longhorns but their first as SEC members, more than three years after their shocking decision to leave the Big 12 went public. The series began in 1900, and Dallas became the game’s permanent home in 1929. After decades as a Big Eight-Southwest Conference clash followed by 28 years together in the Big 12, the spectacle of Red River, with the fried goodness of Fletcher’s in tow, is now part of the SEC’s portfolio.

“It’s part of the tradition for us,” said Nichole Williamson, a Texas alumnus and fan who has attended the game consistently since 2010. “I’m convinced if we don’t go have our corny dog before (the game) we’re going to lose, even though I’ve had it when they’ve lost and I’ve had it when they’ve won.”

“It goes along with the game,” said Trae Anderson, former president of the OU Club of Dallas. “It’s the first thing I’ve always done. You get your corny dog and a wax cup with the beverage of your choice, and that’s how you start. I don’t know of anybody that does anything else.”

The launch of Fletcher’s Corny Dogs was not an immediate success.

According to the company’s origin story, the first version of their corny dogs sold for 15 cents at a small stand at the 1942 State Fair of Texas. Neil and Carl Fletcher, brothers who were former Vaudeville performers, developed the concept four years earlier after seeing a local baker serve hot dogs baked in cornmeal in the shape of an ear of corn. The Fletchers decided to put a stick in the hot dogs and fry them to shorten the cooking process and make it easier to consume.

But when they opened their first stand at Fair Park, they had to cut the corny dogs in half and give away samples to convince fairgoers to try them. Forty-one years after their debut, Neil Fletcher told the New York Times that people would approach the stand, ask what it was and then walk away. “We didn’t make much money,” he said then.

Neil and Carl experimented with the cornmeal batter for more than a decade before coming up with the recipe that stuck. Once it did, it became a rousing success.

When Neil died in 1988, he left the business to his two sons, Neil Jr. and Bill Fletcher. Neil Jr., known as Skip, became “the Corny Dog King,” further elevating an already successful enterprise. In 1983, Fletcher’s sold an estimated 350,000 corny dogs at the State Fair of Texas. At the 2023 state fair, it sold 550,000.

But is a Fletcher’s Corny Dog really that different and special from a traditional corn dog? Red River attendees swear it is.

“It’s one of the staples of going to OU-Texas,” said former Oklahoma offensive lineman Gabe Ikard. “People buy them because they’re delicious. … The lines are absurd; don’t care. Gotta wait in it or recruit somebody who will wait in it for you.”

Count Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione as a Fletcher’s fan. When several vendors showed an interest in selling corn dogs at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, he knew there was only one that deserved to be there. So he instructed his staff to get in touch with the company.

“Someone with OU reached out to us several years ago and said their athletic director loves Fletcher’s and ‘What do I need to do to get Fletcher’s here?’” said Amber Fletcher, who now runs the company with her brother Aaron and cousin William. The partnership with Oklahoma began in 2021, and Fletcher’s has been sold at Sooners games ever since.

BOOMER!! Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs are NOW available for Sooner Football this fall at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. Only the Best for the Best AD @soonerad ☝️ pic.twitter.com/e2qPuF9UXG

— Amber Fletcher (@AmberFletcher_) September 10, 2021

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“I’m sure (the other corn dog vendors) were fine, but they weren’t Fletcher’s corn dogs,” Castiglione said.

The cooking process is simple. Hand-stick a traditional hot dog — Fletcher’s gets dogs made with custom spices — and dip it in the batter, which is made on-site from a proprietary, secret mix. Stick it in the fryer at 365 degrees for three minutes until it has the right texture and color. Then six inches of hot, crunchy, corn dog heaven are ready to eat.

“Everything is the same way my grandfather did it,” Amber Fletcher said.

Texas and Oklahoma fans have their traditions. Although Fletcher’s has seven locations on the fairgrounds, many fans have a preferred source: the Fletcher’s stand at Big Tex circle.

A 55-foot-tall cowboy figure, sporting a Dickie’s shirt and jeans with a 95-gallon hat and size 96 boots, Big Tex is known as the “official greeter” of the State Fair of Texas and has been a fixture at the fair since 1952. It’s customary to see fairgoers consuming their fried goods while sitting next to Big Tex or taking selfies with him in the background.

The Fletcher’s stand that is steps away from Big Tex will be staffed with 60 to 80 employees on Saturday to get the hordes of Sooners and Longhorns their corny dogs as quickly as possible.

Grant Pinkerton, a Texas alum and superfan who owns the renowned Texas barbecue joint Pinkerton’s Barbecue, makes it his first stop every year.

“We beeline it for that very Fletcher’s stand,” said Pinkerton, who went to his first Red River at 9 years old. “We all get at least one corn dog pregame. … Then I have a rule that if Texas wins, you have to go back and get a victory corn dog after the game. It doesn’t matter how hot or soaking wet you are.

“And if they don’t win, no friggin’ dogs after the game.”

Ikard has the same order every year: a Fletcher’s Corny Dog, a funnel cake and three wax cup beers. When he played, he’d have his parents get him one, though he said former coach Bob Stoops would let the players hang out at the fair for an hour if the Sooners won. Now Ikard, who calls Oklahoma games on the Sooner Sports Radio Network, has his wife secure his refreshments while he does the postgame show.

Cade McCrary, who played 51 games for the Longhorns from 2009 to ’13, said that after Texas beat Oklahoma in ’13, Mack Brown allowed players to stay in Dallas and enjoy the fair with their friends and families.

McCrary, who was the holder for Justin Tucker’s game-winning kick in Texas’ 2011 win over Texas A&M, said his victory corny dog was “the greatest taste in the world.”

“It’s the most unique rivalry game in college football,” McCrary said. “There may be others that are as big, but they’re not at the Texas state fair. There’s 100,000 people in the stadium and 200,000 people outside the stadium.”

Of the 550,000 corny dogs that were sold at least year’s state fair, which ran more than three weeks, 124,000 were sold on Red River weekend and 45,000 on game day alone.

Texas has joined Oklahoma in installing a Fletcher’s stand at home games. Drew Martin, Texas’ executive senior associate athletic director for external affairs, said he’s learned a lot about the culture of the game since first attending in 2018. Because less than half of a standard Texas home crowd can attend the game — the 92,000-seat Cotton Bowl is split evenly at the 50-yard line between Texas and Oklahoma fans — he wanted to bring part of the Red River experience to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. This year, for the first time, there’s a Fletcher’s Corny Dog stand at the “Smokey’s Midway” fan experience area outside of DKR and also a permanent stand inside the stadium.

“That’s a tried-and-true tradition for that game,” Martin said. “They can get a Fletcher’s Corny Dog just like they do at the state fair.”

The football game is only part of the State Fair of Texas festivities for many fans who descend on Dallas every fall. (Bryan Terry / The Oklahoman / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

It’s not just about the corny dogs. The attachment is borne out of good times shared with family and friends at the fair, rooting for the Longhorns or Sooners.

Williamson said her dad turned her on to Fletcher’s and she cherishes every trip to Red River with her father and husband. “He’s why I’m a Longhorn today,” she said.

Pinkerton’s parents met at the 1977 Red River Shootout as freshmen and later had their first date the night Earl Campbell won the Heisman Trophy. Pinkerton’s first trip was in 1998, as a 9-year-old. He still has a photo from it and remembers the T-shirt his dad bought him and the cooler temperatures. “I burned my mouth on some hot chocolate,” he said.

Anderson joked that he’s trying to teach his son about corny dogs to perpetuate the unhealthy tradition. “You’re in the middle of the fair, you’re not going to get sushi,” he said. Fletcher’s stands become meeting points before or after the game. “Every year you show up and see your friends you went to school with … and it’s something you end up sharing.”

Amber Fletcher and at least of a dozen of her family members plus 200 employees will have their hands full. “It’s the most incredible day,” she said. Amber, 37, has been going to the fair all her life. She has been part of the family business as long as she can remember, sticking dogs and serving up smiles. After Skip’s death in 2017, Amber has emerged as the face of Fletcher’s.

But she has never seen the game.

“I go to the game every year, but I’ve never seen the game,” she said. “I’ve been in the press boxes delivering corny dogs, and I may peek out to try to see the field, but then I’ve got to get back to work.

“Maybe one day when I retire, I’ll get a ticket and go watch the game. But we’re out doing what our family’s always done, which is serve corny dogs to the fairgoers.”

While fans gobble up the dogs outside the Cotton Bowl, the Longhorns and Sooners meet with plenty on the line. No. 1 Texas, which leads the all-time series 63-51-5, is one of just three teams unbeaten in SEC play entering Week 7. No. 18 Oklahoma, which made a quarterback change from Jackson Arnold to freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., would love to win its second straight over the Longhorns and remain in College Football Playoff contention.

Neither head coach has had a Fletcher’s Corny Dog. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Wednesday that in his three years coaching the Longhorns, he hasn’t had a chance to enjoy the state fair and all its trimmings. “Maybe if we win, I’ll try to find a corny dog or something,” he said.

Venables, who was seen running stadium steps in 99-degree heat this summer, said “my body might shut down if I eat one of those fried corn dogs” when encouraged by a reporter to try one.

But, Venables said, “If we get a W, I’m gonna have one.”

(Top photo courtesy of Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs)