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2008 Cotton Bowl Stadium Expansion/Renovation
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2008 Stadium Expansion
The City of Dallas recently unveiled a $57 million upgrade to Cotton Bowl Stadium which added more than 16,000 seats. The enlarged structure is now the ninth largest stadium in the country with a capacity of 92,000.

Oklahoma, the home team for the 2008 game, will host Texas on Saturday, Oct. 11. ABC has the telecast with kickoff slated for 11 a.m. Visit Sooner Gameday Central to view information for fans attending the game in Dallas plus TV, radio and internet coverage for fans following the Sooners across the nation.

Head coach Bob Stoops is 6-3 vs. Texas including a stretch of five consecutive wins in the series from 2000-04.

2007 Recap: OU 28, Texas 21 | OU-Texas Highlights | OU-Texas Sights & Sounds |

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Renovation Highlights
• More than 16,000 seats were added to the end zones. The new seating brings the stadium's capacity to 92,200.
• Fans can now walk around the entire stadium along two concourses at the upper and lower levels.
• Four double stairwells were added at the corners of the end zones to speed entry and exit at the stadium.
• At either end zone, a series of large new concession stands was designed to shorten waits and to place concession lines away from the main concourse leading to seats.
• A frequent complaint has been about long lines at the bathrooms. Twenty-five bathrooms - including 1,100 new toilet fixtures - have been added, bringing the bathroom total to 39.
• A 16,000-square- foot media center sits atop the north end zone. It includes a 2,600-square-foot conference room that can be used for news conferences or private events.
• Covered premium club seating with 157 fold-down chairs is available at the south end zone. There are 396 fold-down seats in the Governors Section at the 50-yard line on the west side of the stadium. In each end zone on the upper-deck level, there are 550 individual seats with backs. On the west side, there are 15,000 bench seats with backs. The rest of the seating is backless aluminum benches.

Red River Rivalry
The OU-Texas game, played each season at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, a location approximately halfway between the two campuses, is one of the country's most spectacular sporting events.

Staged during the State Fair of Texas, the contest is witnessed by a crowd perfectly defined by color -- half crimson, half burnt orange -- in an atmosphere that is arguably more unique than that found at any other game. This rivalry is one that marks time and gives players and fans alike experiences for a lifetime.

The Tunnel Experience
From the top of the tunnel that leads into the floor of the Cotton Bowl it looks like no big deal. All you can see is end zone. Then you start running and the world explodes around you. Your eardrums are pounded by the screams of more than 75,000 fans and the blasts of the modified 12-gauge shotguns that the OU Ruf/Nek spirit group carries.

You feel the world shake and start to understand why every Longhorn or Sooner who has taken these steps before you can never seem to find the exact words necessary to convey what has just happened.

You've just run down the tunnel at the OU-Texas game -- generally regarded as one of the greatest moments a college football player can experience.- Mark Wangrin, ESPN

Quotes
'Walking down the tunnel and standing next to the guys you're about to face on the field is awesome. Then you hear the (guns) shooting and you hear the crowd " half is screaming for OU and the other half is booing. It gives you a rush.'
- Josh Norman, Former Sooner and current San Diego Charger

'One thing that intensifies the rivalry is that we have a lot of guys from Texas who play for the University of Oklahoma. The hype and the hoopla of the game make it very exciting. It is a very important game from the fan's standpoint, for personal pride and for the players, especially the players from the state of Texas. It is a state rivalry and I think it gets everybody involved.'
- Jackie Shipp, Former Sooner and current OU assistant coach

'I had no clue what to expect. But that was one of the top games I've ever been to, as far as atmosphere. The setting makes it special. It adds a festival atmosphere to the game. Once you're in the stadium, it's so cool to look up and see things half and half, in terms of the fans.'
- Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN

'Right now, I think it's the best thing going in college football.'
- Chris Fowler, ESPN

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