Rivalry Games: Big XII Country Quiz

Answer: Red River Shootout

In 2005, television deemed Red River Shootout politically incorrect and has since renamed the game as the Red River Rivalry. The Red River forms much of the Oklahoma-Texas boundary.

Answer: Kansas and Missouri

The Kansas-Missouri rivalry is second in the number of meetings between two teams in NCAA football history. It began in 1891. It also has been a victim of politically correct rebranding as the sponsors have referred to the rivalry as the Border Showdown since 2003. But everyone else calls it the Border War.

Answer: The Silver Spurs

Texas & Texas Tech play for the Silver Spurs. The Golden Hat is awarded to the winner of the Oklahoma-Texas game. There is no Golden Lasso or Silver Six-Shooter prize.

Answer: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State

The Bedlam Series is an Intrastate rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State encompassing all sports. A crystal bell is awarded to the school with the most overall points.

Answer: The Sunflower Showdown

Kansas is known as the Sunflower State, and the rivalry game between the two state universities is the Sunflower Showdown.

Answer: Baylor and Texas A&M

The Brazos River runs through Waco, home of Baylor University and College Station, home of Texas A&M. The two schools are only 90 miles apart and have played each other since 1899.

Answer: 1971

When Oklahoma and Nebraska were in the Big 8, they traditionally played on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the last game of the season for each team. This game often determined the Big 8 champion, and occasionally the National Champion. This game featured lots of trick plays most years, and often went down to the wire.

In 1971, Nebraska came in as #1 in the polls with Oklahoma #2. Nebraska left with a 35-31 victory. With the creation of the Big XII, Oklahoma and Nebraska no longer play every year, and one of college football's great match-ups has lost a lot of its prominence.

But it will never be "just another game", either.

Answer: Texas A&M and Texas

This game is the last regular-season game for both Texas and Texas A&M and is usually played on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Answer: The Telephone Trophy

In 1949, the telephone wires got crossed on the Iowa State football field so that coaches for one team could hear coaches from the other team.

Answer: 1982

In 1982, Colorado coach Bill McCartney listed Nebraska as enemy #1 to inspire his players to believe that they could play on that level. Nebraska did not feel that Colorado was enough of a threat to consider them a rival. Even with the inauguration of Big XII play in 1996, when Nebraska no longer had a game with Oklahoma to point towards each season, the Nebraska program did not embrace the idea of Colorado as a rival, preferring to be the team to beat for all of the Big XII North programs. Although these two teams now meet every year on the last weekend of conference play, Husker fans do not consider the Buffaloes to be true rivals.

The other years listed as incorrect entries were significant in the history of Colorado. In 1971, the post bowl game polls listed Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado as 1-2-3. In 1990, Colorado won the national championship. In 1996, Big XII play started.