Almost as important as winning championships, Oklahoma football coaches are judged by how they perform against Texas in the Red River Rivalry, so there's no surprise that a few fan-favorite coaches (and one of the most disliked) had the most success down south. Beating Texas is so important that even after leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff last year, if Brent Venables suffers a third straight loss in the Red River Rivalry, he could find himself on the hot seat without great results in every other game on the schedule.
Texas owns a 65-51-5 advantage in the rivalry game that has been played annually since 1900, before Oklahoma was even a state. This century, though, the Sooners have the better record at 17-10.
Read more: Where the Red River Rivalry ranks among the SEC's greatest rivalries
There are three coaches who have contributed to that win total more than any others to help the Sooners own the Red River.
Lincoln Riley (5-1)
As painful as it is to admit, Lincoln Riley absolutely dominated the Longhorns during his time in Norman. Granted, he also got Texas during a down time when Tom Herman was in charge, plus Steve Sarkisian's first season in 2021. He also benefited from Baker Mayfield's 3-1 count against Texas as an Austin kid who was motivated by being overlooked by the Longhorns.
At 5-1, Riley's .833 winning percentage is better than any other OU coach with at least five meetings against Texas. If you also count his time as offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops, then he's 6-2. And the only time Riley lost to Texas as a head coach 2018; he later avenged that loss the same year in the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington.
Bob Stoops (10-7)
Bob Stoops is the perfect man to have the OU record for most Red River Rivalry wins at 10-7 with a .588 winning percentage. That win total included five in a row from 2000 to 2004 and another three-game winning streak in 2010-12. The only time the Sooners beat Texas more than five straight years was in 1952-57.
And unlike Lincoln Riley, Stoops had to deal with Texas with Mack Brown in charge most of the time and the likes of Vince Young and Colt McCoy playing quarterback. It never mattered who the Longhorns had, though, if Stoops was on the sidelines, OU fans knew the Sooners always had a chance.
Read more: Best in-state recruits Bob Stoops thankfully kept in Oklahoma
Barry Switzer (9-5-2)
When Barry Switzer took over Oklahoma, the Longhorns had the legendary Darrell Royal in charge. Yet, Switzer still won his first three appearances in the Red River Rivalry before finishing at 9-5-2. Switzer's tenure then ended on a four-game winning streak against Texas in 1988.
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