The move to the SEC for Oklahoma and Texas had one big unintended consequence for the Sooners. The end, at least in the short term, of an important regional rivalry: Bedlam.
The Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys have met on the gridiron 117 times in the history of the two programs. To hear Mike Gundy talk, 2023 will be the last time the two sides meet when Oklahoma travels to Stillwater.
“When Oklahoma decided to leave the Big 12, they chose to end Bedlam,” Gundy said at Big 12 media days on Wednesday. “It’s a one-sided deal. People were trying to decide what happened, and what needs to happen to make it go on. They kept pushing Oklahoma State into it. We didn’t have jack to do with that. They left the conference; Bedlam goes with it.
“The SEC eventually will go to a 9-game schedule; I’m sure Oklahoma has a Power Five team they’re playing every year. We would have a difficult time matching up with them in nonconference. We’re scheduled out through (2037). We’re not responsible to change what we do because they left the conference. It’s real simple. They chose to get into the SEC. That’s the choice they made.”
Oklahoma’s move to the SEC certainly complicated the future of the game. At the same time, schedules change all the time. If it were important to Oklahoma State, it would find a way to make it happen.
Gundy has maintained his stance that the biggest game in the state of Oklahoma doesn’t have a future beyond 2023. For the last two years, the head coach has been unequivocal in laying blame at the feet of the Oklahoma Sooners for ending the rivalry.
In a way, Gundy is right, the Sooners made the decision to leave, and it’s not up to Oklahoma State to make changes in order to accommodate Bedlam. But it should.
Even though Oklahoma has dominated the series, Bedlam matters to both schools, both fan bases and both local economies. Norman is going to get a boost when Alabama comes to town in 2024, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a loss from the local buzz generated between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State every November.
While it’s a loss for the state, this is an opportunity for Oklahoma State and Gundy to create their own football identity apart from their counterparts in Norman.
The new Big 12 is going to be wide open for a team to come in and fill the void left with Oklahoma’s departure. Could that be Oklahoma State? Without the Sooners on the schedule, it will have a chance to create a new narrative apart from Oklahoma’s dominance in the all-time series.
Oklahoma State hasn’t had a lot of success in this series with the Sooners having the edge, 91-19-7. Still, it is difficult to see that long-standing history go up in a puff of smoke. The final meeting will take place in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Nov. 4. – Patrick Conn, College Sports Wire
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