So who do I like in Saturday's big game in Dallas between the universities of Texas and Oklahoma? I think Texas will win by a field goal and that those pesky Sooners will keep it close, for a couple of reasons. For one, beating Texas would be the only way the Okies could save their sorry season. Then there's this thing I found out about Okies I hadn't realized before that proves they're really tough. They noodle. 'What is noodling?' asked Della Wilson, executive director of the Pauls Valley, Okla., Chamber of Commerce, repeating my question as if I were an idiot for not knowing noodling. 'Hand fishing. Fishing for fish with your hands.' Pauls Valley, located in Oklahoma's Arbuckle Country, holds the Okie Noodling Tournament and fish fry every summer. See, not all Oklahomans are, uh, savvy enough to operate high-tech fishing equipment. After all, it is multitasking because it is a rod AND reel, right? So in the noodling event, Okies catch catfish as best they can -- with their bare hands. Now, there are a few things you shouldn't do with your hands in public, and one of them is grab your fish. But that's Okies for ya. Really, noodling involves jumping in water, grabbing a large catfish out of an underwater hole and wrestling it to the surface. This is one reason so many of the people you meet at OU weekend have such slimy fingers. If you're fixin' to shake hands, bring a towel. The fun begins when Okie noodlers register for the tournament at Bob's Pig Shop. At Bob's Pig Shop, it's strictly no coveralls, no dentures, no service. Did I mention that a survey commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs found that only one in four Oklahoma public high school students could name the first president of the United States? This is because he didn't play linebacker. How you gonna beat a bunch in football when the general population couldn't pick George Washington out of a lineup and they wrestle fish underwater? Noodling is so big in Oklahoma that they want to make it an Olympic sport. I just made that part up. But it does get kinda technical. 'We do have the snorkeling division or the hand, or natural, division,' Della explained. Della said she doesn't noodle either way. 'No, I have no interest in noodling,' she confided. 'I think it's entertaining, but I have no interest in using my arm for live bait.' I thought all the women in Oklahoma at least braided their armpits for fly-fishing. You're wondering what noodling has to do with today's game. Plenty. If you can recover a 70-pound catfish, you can recover a fumble. It would be interesting to know how many of the Okie fans sitting in the Cotton Bowl stands on Saturday noodle because they can't figure out a tackle box. We could have a show of hands, but nobody sitting in that group could count that high. Hook 'em. John Kelso writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: jkelso@statesman.com. 