Oklahoma 2023 Schedule Preview: Oklahoma State
As August closes in, AllSooners previews every game on the 2023 schedule.
Oklahoma’s 12-game regular season schedule features six home games, five road games and the annual neutral-site Red River Showdown.
Following a date with the Jayhawks, Oklahoma will take on its in-state rival, Oklahoma State, as the two teams meet one last time before going separate ways. It'll be a Bedlam battle for the ages.
No matter what the two team’s records are heading into the Nov. 4th contest, it’s set up to be one of the biggest Bedlam matchups of all time. Stillwater is sure to be a hostile environment, as it could be the last time the two programs ever meet up on the football field. At least for a very long time.
Throughout the off-season, the dying rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State was a hot topic on both sides. The Cowboys’ longtime coach, Mike Gundy, has been consistent in his opinion on Bedlam. With Oklahoma off to the SEC, the in-state matchup is no longer.
"The Bedlam game is over because Oklahoma chose to leave the Big 12. Period," Gundy said when asked about Bedlam at Media Days. "Do I like that? No. Do I like that conferences have broken up in the past? No, I don't. But I also know that we have to control what we can control, which is conference realignment is there. It's probably still going on. Wherever we all end up and whatever schedule they give us to play, we go play it and do the best we can."
That’s why the late season November matchup will carry so much weight, it could be the last matchup for quite some time. Stillwater will be even rowdier than usual, trying to upset the Sooners one last time.
Gundy and the Cowboys are looking to bounce back this season after a disastrous ending to the 2022-23 season.
The Cowboys started looked like a team competing for a Big 12 Championship, starting off the season 6-1. Oklahoma State dropped five of their final six contests, including a Bedlam matchup in Norman. The Sooners started off with a 28-0 lead, and held on to knock off the Cowboys 28-13.
Gundy’s squad closed last season with a 24-17 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
OSU was picked to finish seventh in the conference this season according to the Big 12 Media Preseason Poll. They lost a lot of firepower on both sides of the ball, including veteran quarterback Spencer Sanders.
Now, Alan Bowman is set to take over and make the most of his final college opportunity. After beginning his career in the Big 12 at Texas Tech, he took a two-year pit stop at Michigan and is back in the conference with the Cowboys. His first year with the Red Raiders was easily his best season of football, and that was all the way back in 2018.
Overall, Bowman has thrown for 5,329 yards, 34 touchdowns and 18 interceptions over the course of five seasons. He’s never started more than eight games in a single season, and will have the chance to steer Gundy’s ship for an entire fall.
With Dominic Richardson making the switch to Baylor, the Cowboys will rely heavily on Ollie Gordon at running back. The sophomore rushed for 308 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry as a freshman. He has a chance to be the center point of this Cowboy offense in year No. 2.
The Cowboys lost a lot of talent to the transfer portal at the wide receiver position, but Bowman’s projected main target is back in Orange. Brennan Presley returns after leading the team in receptions and yards, catching 67 passes for 813 yards and two touchdowns a season ago.
On the defensive side of the ball, Collin Oliver appears ready to fully breakout. The now linebacker has registered 15.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in two seasons of football, and will be an impact player.
On the defensive line, the Cowboys lost a veteran contributor in Trace Ford to the Sooners. Ford had unfortunate injury troubles at Oklahoma State, but the move was a bit shocking all-around. Gundy wished him well at Big 12 Media Days, but noted the change in the Bedlam rivalry.
"The Bedlam game has changed," Gundy said. "These players, they all know each other now, like they talk on social media. When I played, I didn't even want to talk to people from OU. We just weren't friends. Now these guys are buddies."
In the secondary, it’s Kendal Daniels’ time to shine. Daniels was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American. The safety is ultra talented, and will lead an inexperienced secondary.
The Cowboys don’t have nearly as much hype as years past, but Gundy’s teams are best known for over performing. If he can get the most out of his squad, the Cowboys will give any team in the Big 12 trouble. The biggest question is at the quarterback spot. Can Bowman stay consistent and healthy for a full season?
Only time will tell, but no matter the records or direction of the season, Bedlam will mean much more this fall. The two teams will fight for bragging rights one last time, and neither group wants to lose the last round.
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