Big 12 Media Days: OSU Coach Mike Gundy Says Bedlam Has 'A Year or Two Left'

The Sooners' departure for the SEC may open a door for OSU to assert itself atop the Big 12, but Gundy says not much has changed since last year's announcement.

ARLINGTON, TX — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy gave his assessment Wednesday for where the future of Bedlam football stands.

“The future of Bedlam,” Gundy said during his time on the dais at Big 12 Media Day, “is a year or two left. I mean, that's the future that based on somebody else's decision.”

Oklahoma, one of the biggest brands in all of college football, is bound for the Southeastern Conference. So the Cowboys’ marquee game each year, it would seem, is going away.

In Glendale, AZ, last season, minutes after defeating Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, Gundy expressed the sentiment that Cowboy Nation has been longing to hear: Oklahoma State has a brand, too, and he doesn’t mind talking about it.

That brand grew last season thanks to OSU’s performance in the fourth quarter of a memorable victory over the Sooners, which sent them to the Big 12 title game and then on to the Fiesta Bowl.

Still, the knowledge that one of college football’s most entertaining series may be seeing its final days leaves a poor taste for many Oklahomans.

But to Gundy, not much has changed.

“I don't think that Oklahoma State has changed any with the alignment that started a year ago,” he said.

“We have a strong brand we have a successful winning tradition and a large number of people across the country that want to watch Oklahoma State football. And as we've all talked about, and we all understand, that's the direction that college football is going. That's where the money is. And the moves that are being made are only made for the money, period.

“And fortunately, we have a long-term success at Oklahoma State in winning games and football and people wanting to watch us on TV.”

Regardless of what OU does in the SEC, Gundy said the future of the Big 12 is strong — and yet unclear.

Gundy said the addition of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston bring “geographical television opportunities” and “different time zones,” which increase the Big 12’s footprint and viewership.

“Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to,” Gundy said. “I mean, this is a power struggle for long term television money and the Big 12 is better off today than it was this time last year.

“I’m convinced that the Big 12 will be here for a long time. Who will be in it? I'm not sure. But the brand and what what we have at this point moving forward … Oklahoma State will be a very, very marketable opportunity in the future.”