OSU Football: How Bedlam Can Still Happen in 2024
Bedlam football has been a staple of football in Oklahoma for more than a century, but the chances of a meeting in the near future are slim.
Next season, Oklahoma will join the SEC alongside Texas while Oklahoma State remains in the Big 12. Although the athletic departments at OU and OSU have expressed their desire to continue playing the rivalry, neither has been willing to budge on their nonconference slate.
Considering the teams will be in different conferences next season and nonconference schedules are set for the foreseeable future, any matchup in the near future looks out of reach. However, it is still possible for the teams to play next season.
Although it is not a likely scenario, the Cowboys and Sooners could meet in the postseason in 2024. There are a few different ways that could look, beginning with bowl tie-ins.
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The Big 12 and SEC have a couple of bowl games to match up in every season. Last season, OSU beat Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl, while the Liberty Bowl also features a matchup between the Big 12 and SEC.
Considering those are further down in bowl prestige, it is unlikely both teams will be at that level next season. A more likely matchup could have come in the Alamo Bowl, however, it will continue to have to pick Pac-12 or former Pac-12 teams after it had hoped to select OU or Texas to match up with a Big 12 opponent.
If both teams can find abundant success next season, a meeting in the College Football Playoff is on the table. With the expanded 12-team playoff, Bedlam could still be in Norman or Stillwater next season if both teams fall between 5 and 12 in the final standings.
Although none of those scenarios are likely, it appears the schools’ unwillingness to work together will make postseason matchups the only possible Bedlam meetings for at least the next few years.
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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.