We are a mere week away from the biggest annual sports event in Dallas. The University of Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma University Sooners are once again poised to square off at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park for the right to claim the Golden Hat for a year.

As always, there are Big 12 and national implications. Despite a loss to Kansas State earlier this year, no. 17 Sooners are still in the hunt for a BCS bowl and a Big 12 championship.

The Longhorns, ranked slightly higher in the polls at no. 11, face a stiff challenge from no. 8 West Virginia this weekend in Austin. But if they come out of that game victorious, the Red River Rivalry will be that much more enormous.

However, both teams could be 0-5, and fans would still be whipped up for this game. A lot of that has to do with the weekend’s atmosphere. It’s like spring break in October — not just for the students at both schools, but also for the alumni and locals interested in the rivalry.

So we rounded up a few parties and places to hit before the big game Saturday, October 13.

Del Frisco’s Grille is offering two new drinks for fans on Friday and Saturday called Bevo Booze and Sooner Soda. Each is a color-appropriate, vodka-infused cocktail garnished with pineapple. They’re $10 a pop, so you know they are classy.

But if you’re looking for full-blown parties, we’ve got you covered.

On the Sooner side of the festivities, Oklahoma HQ has a whole slew of parties in Denton, starting Thursday night at Hailey’s with $1 wells. Friday night, Sooner fans are encouraged to show up at Dan’s Silverleaf for a welcome party with Ray Wylie Hubbard. Tickets start at $15.

The OU Club of Dallas is also putting on a shindig Friday night at the Hilton Lincoln Centre Ballroom. The Beat Texas Party includes appearances by the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band and mascots Boomer and Sooner. Tickets are $30, but if you’re a member of OU Club of Dallas, there’s a $5 discount.

On the Texas side of the border, we’ve pinpointed a few parties worth inspecting.

At the Burnt Orange Bash at the Fashion Industry Gallery (Friday, 8 pm-2 am), general admission is $100, but that includes an open bar and free food from places like Lockhart Smokehouse and Hacienda on Henderson. The King Bucks perform, as does the Mavs official spinmaster, DJ Whiz T. Check theburntorangebash.com for a limited number of discount tickets.

Another solid choice is the Red River Party at Eddie Deen’s Ranch Friday, 10 pm-2 am. For $70, you get an open bar that includes two Hideous bars (necessary) as well as three face painters and an airbrush t-shirt artist (super necessary). The band People’s Choice plays all night, and breakfast tacos are served late night.

The Texas Exes Dallas chapter is hosting the 2012 Bash Before the Clash at Knox Street Pub on Friday, 6 pm-2 am. There is no cover charge.

Of course, this is but a brief list. All of Dallas is going to be hopping with fans of both schools getting rowdy. It’ll be hard to go wrong wherever you end up — unless you stumble into a bar full of the other team’s fans.