College football rivalries can bring out the best in some fans, but they can also bring out the worst. As the Big 12 rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma State nears an end, someone might have taken the banter a few steps too far.
Police found a dead longhorn on the lawn of an Oklahoma State fraternity Friday morning, a day before the two schools face off with the Big 12 title on the line.
The disturbing discovery hangs a cloud over what figures to be an entertaining battle with College Football Playoff implications on Saturday. Texas needs a win just to have a chance to its first playoff berth, but Oklahoma State has been one of the nation's hottest teams over the last two months with RB Ollie Gordon II leading the offense.
The Longhorns now might have another chip on their shoulder on Saturday after a bizarre act of apparent animal cruelty.
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Here's what you need to know about the dead longhorn found at an Oklahoma State frat.
Oklahoma State dead longhorn
The presence of a dead longhorn was first reported to police around 6:30 a.m. CT on Friday, with police finding the animal on the lawn of FarmHouse fraternity. Oklahoma State says the house is an off-campus property.
The O'Colly, Oklahoma State's campus newspaper, said the longhorn's stomach was cut open and an expletive was carved into its side.
We do not condone/endorse this behavior, we are simply reporting the scenes outside of FH Fraternity this morning.
— Barstool Pokes (@BarstoolOKST) December 1, 2023
Someone took #texashateweek a little too far… pic.twitter.com/1AubelWiPv
Notably, FarmHouse fraternity said the longhorn was "discarded" on their lawn and explained that the expletive carved into the animal was a derogatory message about the fraternity.
Straight from the source and well said. Sickening to see someone do that. pic.twitter.com/5ho916vyaO
— Barstool Pokes (@BarstoolOKST) December 1, 2023
Oklahoma State released a statement saying the school is "appalled at the disturbing display of animal cruelty." Both police and the university are investigating the incident.
It's unclear at this time whether the incident is directly related to Saturday's Big 12 championship game, or whether it's strictly tied to a rivalry between fraternities.
"It's a very cruel crime to be committed, especially right before the Big 12 Championship," Stillwater police officer TJ Low told The Oklahoman. "Nothing is worth doing that kind of crap."
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How much does a longhorn weigh?
Texas longhorns weigh between 900-1,500 pounds, depending on the gender.
