Oklahoma, Texas reportedly in talks to extend Red River Showdown location

As Texas and Oklahoma finish out their final years with the Big 12, plans are being made for the future of the Red River Showdown.

The SEC has spent time this week at its league meetings debating over how its scheduling should be done once the teams join in 2025. Despite all the talk, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione has not lost sight of the Red River Showdown’s contract with the city of Dallas set to expire after 2025.

The battle for the golden hat is coming up on its 118th meeting this fall. Annually played on the second Saturday of October since 1934, except for 2018, the game has also been held at the Cotton Bowl inside the Fair Park since 1932. The Sooners have won the past four meetings.

“We’ve had conversations about extending,” Castiglione said Wednesday to the Dallas Morning News during Big 12 meetings. “They just started since last fall. It’s a little premature to talk too much about them but they’ve been very good.

“Everybody involved in the game looks forward to making it special in the years to come.”

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte was unavailable for comment as he left the Big 12 meetings early to follow the Longhorns in NCAA Tournament play.

The SEC has debated more than 30 models this offseason and has whittled down the options to two proposals, commissioner Greg Sankey confirmed at the league’s spring meetings this week. 

Sankey said the conference is focused on a “single-division model.” One option would include an eight-game schedule with schools selecting a permeant opponent along with seven rotating opponents. The other proposal calls for a nine-game format with every school having a three permanent opponents and six rotating league games — this would preserve more rivalries.

Castiglione is confident the Red River Showdown should be safe when it moves to the SEC.

“One way, shape or form,” Castiglione said. “They’ll still be a game in Dallas for the foreseeable future.”

Everything is still on track for the two schools to make the move to the SEC in 2025. Until the move to the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma will have to make room as four new teams enter the fold in the Big 12.

BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and Central Florida are all sitting in Big 12 meetings. The Cougars will join in 2023 while the three AAC schools are trying to move about their transition from 2024 to 2023.

Either way, the Big 12 will look very different by the time the Red River Showdown joins the SEC.

“It just is what it is,” Castiglione said. “We’re here with four universities that are entering the Big 12 at some point. … It’s a unique dialogue but everybody has been very professional, very cordial. Yes, the SEC has been thoughtful about engaging both Oklahoma and Texas in conversations about scheduling models in all sports.”