Some Sooners fans left the Cotton Bowl on Saturday upset about the score – and the scoreboard.

"I spent $360, and I can't see squat," said University of Oklahoma fan Paula Wilson, who complained that new end-zone seats made it virtually impossible for some Sooners to see the mega-size scoreboard above them.

There's no equivalent over the opposite end zone, said Ms. Wilson, who has attended the annual Red River Rivalry game against the University of Texas for more than 40 years.

The Texarkana resident admitted that Fair Park's revamped Cotton Bowl was "pretty," but said the 16,000 additional seats not only made it difficult to see, but also to breathe.

"It's too tight to sit down," she said. "Come on, this is America. We aren't little people. We are fat."

The recently completed renovation, the most extensive in the Cotton Bowl's 78-year history, was intended to turn a dumpy, dilapidated structure with shoddy plumbing into a shiny, state-of-the-art building and the ninth-largest stadium in the country.

And for many fans – especially those on the winning side of the 45-35 final score – it lived up to its $57 million price tag.

"It's like being in a time warp," said OU graduate Gary Henderson, 51, of Oklahoma City. His 71-year-old brother, Les Henderson, kept glancing between his wife and the stadium walls. He marched onto the field with OU's band in 1954 and has returned almost annually since.

"I'm going to go to the concession stand and be able to eat something at halftime," he said, sounding shocked. His wife, Susie, added, "I'm going to be able to go to the restroom."

Along with additional seats that have pushed capacity to more than 92,000, the stadium now boasts triple the number of restrooms, the jumbo scoreboard, a remodeled media center and larger concession stands.

And sweaty shoulder-to-shoulder congestion has decreased, said Longhorn fan Scott Smith, with a contiguous concourse that makes it possible walk to all the way around the stadium.

"I noticed it most when I didn't get trampled to death," said the 40-year-old contractor from Bastrop, Texas. "I think it's fantastic and long overdue."

When city and State Fair of Texas officials decided to undertake the costly renovations, some locals questioned its worth, especially because the stadium will lose its namesake AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic to Arlington in 2010. The renovated stadium reopened in September and hosts three games during the State Fair of Texas, but sits empty for most of the year.

About the only thing Texas and Oklahoma fans at the game could agreed upon was not to mess with tradition.

"It's like a giant tailgate party with your enemies," said Mr. Smith, who added that the State Fair's carnival atmosphere and the neutral location between Norman, Okla., and Austin make it a prime spot – one he hopes they keep.

The schools have extended their contract only through 2015, but will receive $425,000 each in an annual subsidies beginning this year, up from $250,000. In 2012, that amount will rise to $500,000.

JOHN F. RHOADES/ DMN

Oklahoma fans Cody and Carrie Cooper of Moore, Okla. embrace at the Cotton Bowl prior to the Red River Rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners.

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A study commissioned recently by the city and State Fair officials indicated that not even the current economic upheaval will dampen this year's festivities. The report estimated that $20 million will feed into the local economy via the expanded seating and greater influx of fans for the sold-out event. That's $2 million more than last year.

"All any of us talk about is how it would be the biggest disaster if they moved it from the State Fair," said Dallas resident and Longhorn backer Eric Sughrue, on his way back from the concession stand.

The men's restrooms may still clog and the sinks quickly run out of soap, but nothing tops this experience, he said, a blend of history, nostalgia and the gleeful angst of good competition.

"This is the only place you can go and have an 80-year old grandmother curse at you," he said.

Then he paused, looked at the scoreboard, and smiled. "Of course, that only happens on the Sooner side."