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Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Players Talk Final Bedlam Matchup

Two OK Preps alumni spoke this week about what will likely be the final meeting between the Cowboys and Sooners, at least for the foreseeable future.

Randall Sweet

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ARLINGTON, TX — One of the hottest topics of conversation at Big 12 Media Days this week was the final Bedlam matchup between OU and OSU. 

With the Sooners heading to the SEC in 2024 and the Cowboys slated to remain in the Big 12, one of the most historic rivalries in college football will go dormant after the 2023 season. For over 100 years, Bedlam has been a staple of college football and a massive spectacle in the state of Oklahoma. 

The first Bedlam game was played in 1904, and there have been 117 meetings between the two schools. OU holds a massive advantage over the Pokes, leading the all time series 91-19-7.

From "House Divided" signs to fun office banter, Bedlam is one of the most recognizable fixtures of any sport in Oklahoma. The loss of the game will surely be felt by fans across the state, who look forward to the contest every year. 

Players on both sides of the rivalry, however, have a different opinion of Bedlam. 

“Truthfully, I just see it as another football game, another chance to put a win in our record," said Cowboys preseason all-conference linebacker Collin Oliver. I know the fans, they enjoy it and they embrace the in-state rivalry, as they should, it’s a big game for them. We as players, we just have to look at it as another game.” 

Veteran Oklahoma wide receiver Drake Stoops had a similar sentiment, pointing out that even if OU wasn't leaving for the SEC, it would be his last matchup against OSU.

“(Bedlam) will be fun to play in, every rivalry game is," Stoops said. "OU-Texas is big and OU-OSU is huge. It’ll be a week of its own and we’ll worry about that game when it gets there. With it being potentially the last one, I’ll definitely take a deep breath and soak it all in and take it for what it is. It’ll be my last one regardless, though.” 

Both players admitted that prior to their time in college, they enjoyed watching the Bedlam series. Oliver, an Oklahoma City native, discussed his fandom of the rivalry growing up, but said things are different now that he is a college football player.

"Growing up I was a fan of (Bedlam), I went crazy over it," Oliver said. "You just have to realize now that you’re playing for the school you can’t look at it any differently (than any other game).”

The son of former Sooners' head coach Bob Stoops, Drake grew up around the Bedlam series and has now played in the game five times. At Big 12 Media Days on Thursday, he reminisced about the 2013 Bedlam matchup in Stillwater. 

“The Bedlam when Blake Bell threw that corner route to Jalen Saunders to win the game," Stoops said when asked about his favorite memories from OU and OSU's heated rivalry. "I think it was (for) the Big 12 Championship, too, when the game wasn’t around for a little while. That was a good memory. It was a big win and it went down to the wire. As a kid I really enjoyed watching that game. … Yeah, that game was crazy.”

After the Sooners took down the Cowboys 28-13 in Bedlam last season, OSU is set to host the final Bedlam matchup for the foreseeable future in 2023. 

This year, the rivalry will have another interesting storyline, as former Oklahoma State pass rusher Trace Ford transferred to Oklahoma over the offseason. On Wednesday, Cowboys' head coach Mike Gundy talked about Ford's decision.

"Nothing surprises me anymore in college football," Gundy said of Ford's transfer. "He was at Oklahoma State and had a good run early in his career. He was hurt the last few years at our place, so we didn't really get to see him play much. Hopefully he's healthy and he can finish his career strong."

FOR MORE

Mike Gundy Laments Bedlam Because 'Oklahoma Chose to Go to the SEC'

Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Maintains He is 'Not in Control' of Bedlam's Future

Later in the day, the former OSU quarterback, who was 0-4 against the Sooners as the Cowboy's starter, added that Bedlam is different now than it once was. 

"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."

At Big 12 Media Days, Gundy also claimed that the death of Bedlam is solely due to Oklahoma's departure from the Big 12, arguing that the Cowboys shouldn't have to go out of their way to schedule OU for an out-of-conference matchup. 

"Oklahoma State’s not going to change what we do because Oklahoma chose to go to the SEC," Gundy said when asked about Bedlam. "They need to change what they do, because they’re the ones that made their minds up to go to the SEC."

"The Bedlam game is over because Oklahoma chose to leave the Big 12. Period. 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."

Brent Venables argued with Gundy indirectly during his time at the podium, claiming that he has no say in what happens to the rivalry. 

“Look, I'm not in control of whether or not we play Oklahoma State,” Venables said. “Whether or not we play them in the future, nobody is asking me what I think. If they do ask me, I'll tell them what I think. I'd love to play the game."

At the moment, it doesn't seem like either side is too keen on renewing the classic series once the Sooners are in the SEC, meaning that Bedlam may cease to exist despite the two schools sitting just 80 miles apart.

This is not the first time college football has seen classic rivalry games be laid to rest, with Texas and Texas A&M as well as West Virginia and Pittsburgh being affected by conference realignment. 

In 2022, the Panthers and Mountaineers played in an out-of-conference matchup, marking the first contest between the two since 2011. Before that, the two schools played regularly since 1895 and every season since 1943 in a rivalry known as the Backyard Brawl. 

There have been 105 editions of the Backyard Brawl, with another out-of-conference showdown planned for 2023. This should give fans of Bedlam hope that the series may be revived down sometime down the road. 

Another one of the most historic college football rivalries will be renewed in 2024 after a 13-year hiatus. The Aggies and Longhorns have met 118 times, with the rivalry disrupted when Texas A&M left for the SEC in 2012.

When the 2024 SEC schedule was released in mid-June, it was revealed that Texas will meet their longtime rival once again during their inaugural season in the conference. 

There's still hope for Bedlam yet.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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