OSU Football: Building Big 12 Rivalries Could Prove Difficult
Rivalries are part of what makes college football great, but conference realignment could hinder that for Oklahoma State.
Last season, OSU beat Oklahoma 27-24 in the final scheduled matchup between the two in-state rivals. Bedlam has been a staple of falls in the state of Oklahoma for more than a century, yet the Sooners’ move to the SEC abruptly ended one of the most intriguing weekends in Oklahoma sports.
Over the next few years, the schools will still compete in many sports, but nonconference scheduling in football has made the prospect of a Bedlam game nearly impossible. Neither team wants to back out on their previously scheduled matchup, and there is little interest in scheduling games further out when both teams have an opening.
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With Texas also leaving for the SEC, some of the Cowboys’ biggest matchups are off the schedule moving forward, which leaves room for other teams to become primary rivals. Yet, there is a significant roadblock to that as well.
Only two years ago, the Big 12 had nine teams and an easily understood conference schedule. Each team played each other and alternated home-field advantage each season. However, the conference has expanded to 16 teams, with multiple years of adding mid-majors and Pac-12 teams.
In the middle of the 2023 season, the Big 12 unveiled the conference opponents for each team for the next four seasons. Building rivalries involves playing each other every year and having close, intense contests. The Big 12 shot down any chance of helping OSU build a new rivalry within the first point.
From 2024-27, OSU will not play any conference team each year. Beyond that, the Cowboys will match up with only six teams in three of the next four seasons. Those six teams are all part of the 10-team Big 12 that was in place before the recent realignment, with TCU being the only team in that group OSU will not play three times.
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IVAN WHITE
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.