Oklahoma State in a Better Position Without Bedlam on the Schedule
Oklahoma State has struggled against its biggest rival, and it could be better off without those matchups.
In 2023, OSU beat Oklahoma 27-24 in a game that earned it a spot in the Big 12 Championship. As fans rushed the field at Boone Pickens Stadium, they were not thinking about the Big 12 title but rather the fact that OSU had just won the final Bedlam on the schedule.
With wins in two of the past three years against OU, the Cowboys were looking to turn the tide in a matchup that has been famously lopsided in the Sooners’ favor. Despite having some momentum on their side in the matchup, the Cowboys might be in a better position with OU in the SEC and off the schedule.
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In Mike Gundy’s tenure as OSU’s head coach, his team has faced the Sooners 19 times. OSU has won four of those meetings. The in-state rivalry has been the biggest knock on Gundy throughout his time at OSU. Although he has turned the program around and led OSU to its most successful era, it can be difficult to remember that as his team gets blown out in the biggest game of the year.
With the 12-team playoff era beginning in 2024, OSU’s first year without the rivalry could not have come at a better time. While the four-team playoff required near perfection to make the field, some of the Cowboys’ Bedlam losses in that era might have also sealed their fate in a 12-team playoff.
Losses to the Sooners in 2015, 2016 and 2017 all ended OSU’s Big 12 title or four-team playoff hopes, but it would not have helped the team make a 12-team field either. As OSU has often had only one loss entering Bedlam, the hopes of national glory have often been on the line.
Replacing the Sooners with another matchup against a team such as BYU or Arizona State, the Cowboys are in a better position to make a run at the Big 12 title and playoff. While OSU fans are understandably upset about the rivalry’s pause, they might have to settle for a better shot at winning championships in the meantime.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.