Texas v Oklahoma: Arch Manning headlines 122nd Red River Rivalry in Dallas

The 122nd Red River Rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners kicked off at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on Saturday 10 October 2026 as the headline fixture of US college football's day. Top-ranked Texas, 4-0 and led by quarterback Arch Manning, were heavy favourites against a 2-2 Oklahoma side that arrived with a depleted roster after a bruising start to the Southeastern Conference season. Manning opened the scoring with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman inside the first quarter to put Texas 7-0 up, part of a game plan built around his arm and a run-heavy defence designed to contain Sooners quarterback John Mateer. The annual game, played at the State Fair of Texas with the stadium split in half between burnt orange and crimson, is one of the biggest regular-season occasions in American sport, drawing a national television audience on ABC. A Texas win would consolidate the Longhorns' College Football Playoff position and keep Manning firmly in the Heisman Trophy conversation; an Oklahoma upset would blow the SEC title race wide open and provide one of the shocks of the season.