Sooners, Texas are picking Cotton

By George Schroeder

Published: April 20, 2007

The Oklahoma-Texas football game isn't leaving the Cotton Bowl anytime soon. The series will remain at its traditional home through 2015.

The official announcement will come today.

A news conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the 50-yard line of the stadium where the game has been played since 1929.

Meranda Cohn, chief of staff for Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, confirmed the topic of the news conference involved the OU-Texas game. Cohn declined further comment, but said she expected "a good, positive announcement.”

OU and Texas officials declined comment; an OU official said no contract had been signed.

However, an official close to the talks confirmed an agreement has been reached to keep the series in Dallas through 2015, extending the current deal by five years.

It was unclear how financial terms might change, but several news outlets reported the deal would include additional financial incentives for OU and Texas. Under the existing agreement, reached in 2004 and extended last May through 2010, the schools do not pay a rental fee and the city of Dallas pays each school $125,000.

In November, Dallas voters approved $30 million for major renovations to the Cotton Bowl, in addition to $20 million being spent to upgrade the facility. The stadium also will be expanded to 92,000 seats.

Sources said Texas officials had wanted to move the game to the home campuses.

Other locations within the Dallas/Fort Worth area also were considered potential destinations — most likely, the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, Texas, to open in 2009.