DALLAS. No. 1 Texas and Oklahoma meet Saturday in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl, a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC in the middle of the State Fair of Texas. The Longhorns arrive 4-0. The Sooners are 2-2, and their coach spent Monday answering questions about his starting quarterback.
Both teams are coming off an open week, and Texas lists the game as sold out. For North Texas fans, the bigger question may be logistics: more than 100,000 people come to the fair for this game, according to the State Fair of Texas, and DART announced extra game-day service on Monday.
Where Texas and Oklahoma stand after four games
Texas is No. 1 in the AP poll for a fourth straight week, with 61 of 70 first-place votes, Sports Illustrated reported. Two of their four wins came by a single possession: 24-23 over Ohio State, then ranked No. 1, and 20-17 at Tennessee on Sept. 26.
Oklahoma opened with a 51-0 win over UTEP, then lost 17-10 at Michigan, beat New Mexico 14-6 and fell 41-13 at No. 2 Georgia. Never Late News laid the two seasons side by side from ESPN’s posted results:
| Week | Texas | Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | W 59-7 vs. Texas State | W 51-0 vs. UTEP |
| 2 | W 24-23 vs. No. 1 Ohio State | L 17-10 at Michigan |
| 3 | W 30-6 vs. UTSA | W 14-6 vs. New Mexico |
| 4 | W 20-17 at No. 14 Tennessee | L 41-13 at No. 2 Georgia |
| Points for / against | 133 / 53 | 88 / 64 |
Totals calculated by Never Late News from the game scores on ESPN’s 2026 Texas and Oklahoma schedule pages.
Take away UTEP and Oklahoma has scored 37 points in three games.
Quarterback questions on both sidelines
Brent Venables said John Mateer is still Oklahoma’s starter, but backups Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley took extra snaps during the open week, CBS Sports reported Monday. Asked whether either could play Saturday, Venables said, “I have no idea. We’re not there right now … John’s our starting quarterback.” Oklahoma ranks last in the SEC in total offense, CBS noted. Bentley, a true freshman, won a state title at Celina, north of Dallas.
Oklahoma will also be without left tackle Michael Fasusi, who has been out since the opener, Sports Illustrated reported. That matters against Colin Simmons, the Texas defensive end who had 5.5 sacks at Tennessee.
On the Texas side, Arch Manning has thrown for 862 yards through four games, per the Texas game center. Running back Hollywood Smothers, held out at Tennessee with an ankle injury, is expected back, per SI. Sarkisian kept his injury update short Monday: “I think we’re healthier than we were this time a week ago,” he said, according to On3.
The recent series
Texas won 23-6 last October, 34-3 in 2024 and 49-0 in 2022. Oklahoma’s last win was 34-30 in 2023, and it has not scored more than six points against Texas since. The Longhorns are trying to beat the Sooners three years running for the first time since 1997-99.
Red River Rivalry game-day timeline at Fair Park
The game has been played at the Cotton Bowl during the fair since 1929. Never Late News pieced together Saturday’s schedule from the fair, DART, Texas Athletics and D Magazine:
| Time (Sat., Oct. 10) | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Fair parking lot gates open |
| 8 a.m. | Midway and outdoor concessions open; DART State Fair Flyer shuttles start |
| 9 a.m. | Cotton Bowl gates open |
| 2:30 p.m. | Kickoff on ABC |
| 10 p.m. | Fair closes (last entry 9 p.m.) |
| 11:08 p.m. / 11:11 p.m. | Last Green Line trains from MLK, Jr. and Fair Park stations that connect to the last TRE train to Fort Worth |
Lot, Midway and stadium gate times as reported by D Magazine.
Tickets, bags and getting there
A Red River Rivalry game ticket also gets you into the fair that day. A fair ticket alone will not get you into the stadium, per the fair’s sports FAQ. The Cotton Bowl’s clear bag policy allows one clear bag up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches or a one-gallon clear resealable bag, and purses larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches are not allowed.
DART’s Oct. 5 game-day release says all rail lines will run every 20 minutes, with longer trains to Fair Park. Green and Orange line riders can use Fair Park Station on Parry Avenue or MLK, Jr. Station, which is closest to Gate 6 and the Cotton Bowl. State Fair Flyer buses will run to Lot 8 near the Midway Gate from Glenn Heights, CityLine/Bush, SMU/Mockingbird, Addison and Downtown Rowlett/Lake Ray Hubbard, and the last buses leave two hours after the game ends. If you drive, official fair lots cost $25, and the fair recommends Gate 2 at 925 S. Haskell Ave.
Kacey Musgraves plays American Airlines Center that night, as Never Late News reported this week. For fairgoers without game tickets, D Magazine’s advice is simple: arrive after kickoff and leave before the game ends.
How Never Late News reported this
This preview draws on the University of Texas game center (kickoff, sellout, recent results, Manning’s yards), ESPN’s 2026 Texas and Oklahoma schedules, Sports Illustrated’s Oct. 5 reports, CBS Sports’ Oct. 5 Venables story, On3’s Oct. 5 transcript of Sarkisian’s news conference, DART’s Oct. 5 game-day release and State Fair service page, State Fair of Texas planning pages, and D Magazine’s game-day guide (Sept. 28, updated Oct. 5). Never Late News built the season comparison and the game-day timeline from those records. No original interviews were conducted for this piece.
About Never Late News: Never Late News is a US local and civic news site covering North Texas sports and entertainment with people-first reporting.