When I grew up, Texas vs. Oklahoma was one of the pre-eminent rivalries in college football. (Let the jokes fly about how young I am.)

Between 2000 and 2012, the Longhorns and Sooners were both ranked in all but one matchup. Even in that year – 2005 – the game produced a national champion. The Red RIver Showdown over that stretch produced 10 Big 12 champions, six national championship appearances and two title winners.

“It’s hard to explain...but when we’re on the field, it’s just a little different,” Texas wide receiver Collin Johnson said. “It’s hard to explain, just passion. The game speaks for itself.”

The rivalry has continued to produce Heisman Trophy winners, College Football Playoff participants and Big 12 champions over the past few years – it’s just all been on Oklahoma’s side.

Six years later, Texas is finally ready to hold up its end of the bargain.

Saturday marks the first time that Texas vs. Oklahoma is a battle of ranked opponents since the game was called the Red River Rivalry. Anticipation for the game is reaching fever pitch. In fact, Texas vs. Oklahoma is the hottest ticket in college football.

Per our partners at TicketCity, tickets for the Red River Showdown average a cool $425. That’s nearly double what the price was just two years ago, in the final year of the Charlie Strong era.

Texas finally seems to have slowed its backslide since Mack Brown left the program in 2012. The Longhorns earned a bowl trip for the first time since 2013 a season ago, and reeled in the No. 3 recruiting class in the country.

But even after beating USC and TCU in successive weeks early in 2018, Texas coach Tom Herman is searching for a signature victory on the 40 Acres. Beating Oklahoma? That’ll buy him some time.

“The biggest thing is just how huge the rivalry is,” safety Brandon Jones said. “In high school, you hear about it and you know how important the game is, but it’s a totally different feeling when you run out of the tunnel.”

The historic Cotton Bowl in Dallas is almost exactly in between Austin and Norman – 191 miles from Oklahoma, 197 miles from Texas – and takes place in one of the primary destinations for alums.

“There’s nothing like that bus ride,” wide receiver Collin Johnson said. “Just seeing the OU fans and the Texas fans walking, the stadium is split half and half. It’s just an unreal environment.”

More than 90,000 fans pack into the Cotton Bowl for Texas vs. Oklahoma, and the stadium is split evenly down the middle. It sure doesn’t hurt that it takes place right in the center of the State Fair of Texas.

“Every year, you run out through the OU fans into the Texas fans, which is a cool feeling in and of itself,” Texas tight end Andrew Beck said. “But they don’t always have nice things to say coming out of the tunnel, as shocking as that sounds.”

Even when Texas was missing bowl games, this game remained close. In the past five seasons, Texas has actually outscored Oklahoma 150-142 in these games. For comparison, the Longhorns have have had three coaches that went a combined 31-32 over that stretch. The Red RIver Showdown is different. 

Texas isn’t the only team that’s rising. Oklahoma is still establishing its new brand under head coach Lincoln Riley. The Sooners earned a trip to the College Football Playoff a season ago, reeled in a top 10 recruiting and ranks No. 7 in the AP Top 25 following a 5-0 start.

The sport of college football ran through these two programs for nearly a decade in the 2000s. WIth a pair of young, exciting head coaches, the Red River Showdown can once again become a destination for college football fans across the country.

Games like this are the reason blue-chip players come to Texas.

“I know our biggest thing is just focusing on week-by-week who we have to play,” Jones said. “But this is a game that’s always in everybody’s head.”

The 113th iteration of the Red River Showdown takes place at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Click Here to buy tickets to the game, which will be broadcast live on FOX.