For the last 119 years, Texas football and Oklahoma have gotten busy in the coolest rivalry in college football.

Sure, people from the two states are biased, but show me a better annual matchup played in a neutral city with a State Fair as the backdrop, and then I’ll reconsider.

Some of you have asked about my favorite Red River Rivalry games over the years, so with this Saturday being my 23rd visit to the Cotton Bowl, here are some that stand out.

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The first will always top the list because anyone who has attended Texas-Oklahoma will never forget the sheer pageantry on display, from the people milling around the State Fair to the burnt orange/crimson split at midfield in the Cotton Bowl.

It was 1997 and I was working at the Tyler Morning Telegraph. My illustrious sports editor Phil Hicks — still a close friend to this day — dispatched me and coworker/tennis rival Joe Buie to the Cotton Bowl. It was my first Red River event, and I was beyond pumped. We didn’t have parking passes, so we drove around and found a spot in a nearby neighborhood a few blocks away.

A man I assume was a resident approached us and said in less than friendly terms that it would cost $10 to park there. Joe was hesitant to pay some stranger to park on a public street, but my Spidey sense was tingling, so I reached into my wallet and produced two Lincolns.

It turns out several cars on that street were broken into later that night, but not ours. That was $10 well spent.

As for the game, it was one of most dazzling displays of running in the game’s history. Texas won 27-24 behind Ricky Williams’ 223 yards and two touchdowns, but Oklahoma’s whirling dervish De'Mond Parker nearly stole the show with 291 yards, including a 66-yard sprint to make things interesting in the final two minutes.

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I instantly fell in love with what was then called the Red River Shootout. There isn’t another game like it in the sport.

Here are five others I’ll never forget:

No. 2 Texas 45, Oklahoma 12 (2005)

It was the unofficial announcement that Texas would be the biggest challenger to two-time reigning champion USC for college football supremacy. And we all remember how things turned out at the 2006 Rose Bowl.

Texas coach Mack Brown finally got over the OU hump, ending a nightmare five-game losing streak where the Sooners outscored Texas by an average of 37-11, including games in 2000 and 2003 when the Sooners topped 60.

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Quarterback Vince Young was at the peak of his powers with a long touchdown pass to Billy Pittman, but two plays stood out most: freshman running back Jamaal Charles’ 80-yard touchdown run and 315-pound defensive tackle Rodrique Wright’s 67-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, easily the slowest fumble recovery touchdown in UT history.

I remember asking Young after the game about the toughness of Oklahoma redshirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar, who was sacked three times, fumbled twice and treated like a punching bag for most of the day.

“That boy needs to learn how to run out of bounds,” Young said.

No. 2 Texas 45, Oklahoma 35 (2008):

The Monday before the game, I pulled offensive coordinator Greg Davis aside and asked if there was any way he could see the Sooners beating the Longhorns if electric quarterback Colt McCoy threw it 40 times. After all, McCoy was at the helm of one of the nation’s scariest passing attacks with talented wideouts Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby at his disposal.

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“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Davis said.

Well, Colt didn’t get to 40 attempts, but he completed 26 of 35 for 277 yards and a touchdown, effectively outdueling eventual Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford.

The game will be remembered for Jordan Shipley’s 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with Texas down 14-3, but I’ll never forget Davis calling me over after the game while he was holding court with reporters.

“Cedric, I owe you an apology,” he said, extending his hand.

I smiled because I understood the need to keep the game plan secret.

“I lied, but it was a coach’s lie,” he explained. “After I answered your question, I was thinking, ‘Has he been sitting in on our meetings?’”

I took that as a compliment from an all-time media favorite who always showed up to answer questions, win or lose. Davis already had a 2005 national title under his belt, but it was easily the finest called game of his distinguished career.

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Texas 36, No. 12 Oklahoma 20 (2013)

Texas quarterback Case McCoy started after taking over for David Ash, who had suffered a pair of concussions in the first four games. Never lacking in confidence, UT’s sidewinding backup put a charge into the fan base that wasn’t altogether confident in Texas’ chances since the Horns had been outscored 118-38 in the previous two Red River losses.

Colt’s little brother put on a show with touchdown passes of 59 and 38 yards to Marcus Johnson and Mike Davis.  Speedy Daje Johnson’s 85-yard touchdown was Texas’ first via punt return in four seasons. We didn’t know it at the time, but it was Mack's final Texas-OU game. He and the university parted ways at season’s end. Brown finished 7-9 against the Sooners.

No. 15 Texas 17, No. 16 Oklahoma 10 (1994)

I was in my second year as a high school sports reporter in Tyler and folks from all departments were all gathered around a small television set in the sports department as Oklahoma was on a late drive in an attempt to force overtime. The room went wild after 343-pound defensive tackle Stonie Clark, a lovable kid we had covered at Gladewater High School, read an Oklahoma reverse and stone-walled running back James Allen at the goal line with 36 seconds left.

It’s the reason we still remember Stonie Clark. He made his Longhorn legacy on one play.

Texas 24, No. 10 Oklahoma 17 (2015)

The 1-4 Horns were 17-point underdogs and embattled second-year head coach Charlie Strong couldn’t hide his glee after they all but sealed the win when Naashon Hughes and Poona Ford slammed down OU quarterback Baker Mayfield for a 17-yard loss, Texas’ sixth sack of the afternoon.

The players carried Strong around the field after he donned the Golden Hat. He strode into the interview room with a smile bigger than the Cotton Bowl, exchanging high-fives with media members on the front row and ribbing them for picking the Sooners.

Who could blame them? After all, Texas had lost 38-3 to Notre Dame and 50-7 to TCU and was on its way to the first of consecutive 5-7 seasons that would lead to the coach's firing. This and a 50-47 win over Notre Dame to open the 2016 season turned out to be the high marks in Strong’s failed Texas tenure.

New memories are about to be made

The Horns have huge aspirations in their inaugural SEC season and the Sooners would love nothing more than to hand Texas a first conference loss. There are so many memories from this iconic rivalry that this space is simply not big enough to mention them in entirety.

There is no doubt that fans on both sides of the Red River are exchanging their favorite stories and are unanimously geeked about the football that lies ahead. So, enjoy a Fletcher’s Corny Dog. Enjoy that all-familiar buzz that surrounds the State Fair campus and let’s all look forward to the new moments we’re about to witness.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Golden: My favorite Texas vs OU memories include a couple of surprises