Though the 2022 season is set to kick off in a little more than three weeks, there’s something about how the 2021 season went down that still stings. In particular, the loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam.
The Sooners and Cowboys entered the second half tied at 24 until Oklahoma pulled away with nine points off of a safety and a special teams touchdown. Everything seemed to be going Oklahoma’s way until Oklahoma State settled in and shut down the Sooners’ offense. In Lincoln Riley’s last game as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, his offense scored zero points in the second half of the most important game of the season.
That game opened the door for the Cowboys to ascend to the top tier of the Big 12. The Cowboys were ranked No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports AFC Coaches poll, two spots behind Oklahoma. And, according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd and Shehan Jeyarajah, to being the best team in the state of Oklahoma.
Coach Mike Gundy finally got the best of Oklahoma for the first time since 2011 to earn a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game, and his Cowboys beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Oklahoma has a long history of success, but an external coaching hire for the first time since 1998 provides the narrow opening for Oklahoma State to control the state. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports
That was a big win for Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys and yes, the Sooners did experience a ton of turnover within its coaching ranks. At the same time, it’s hard to ignore Oklahoma’s 90-19-7 record against their Bedlam rivals. Oklahoma State has one Big 12 championship (2011). The Oklahoma Sooners have 14.
The Sooners have gone 14-3 against the Cowboys during Mike Gundy’s tenure as the head coach. They’ve won Bedlam just 11 times since 1946. They got the most recent win, but they’re not at the Sooners’ level.
Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys continue to put together quality football teams year in and year out. They look like the team most likely to be the power player in the Big 12 when the Sooners and Texas Longhorns leave for the SEC.
But still, with all the growth, all the improvement, and the win over Oklahoma in 2021, they’ve still only won 21% of the matchups against the Sooners. In the state of Oklahoma, there’s only one team that reigns supreme. The University of Oklahoma.
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