Bedlam Football After 2023: When Could the Rivalry Return?
Bedlam football has been a staple of fall in the state of Oklahoma for more than a century, but that changes after Saturday.
The matchup between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will have its 118th installment this season, but the future of the series is uncertain. While the football series has been one-sided, it is still something that will be missed by both schools.
OU’s move to the Southeastern Conference will be a blow to almost every sport that is part of the Bedlam series. Still, the most significant impact will be on football, where OU has a gaudy all-time record against OSU.
The Sooners are 91-19-7 against the Cowboys. Yet, that lopsided record has not prevented Bedlam from being the most important game on the Cowboys’ schedule every season.
Of course, that is until 2024.
OSU’s matchup with OU will be important for the Big 12 standings as it has so many times in the past. But this year’s matchup will give the winner bragging rights for potentially a decade or longer.
For now, the Cowboys and Sooners have their nonconference opponents scheduled for many years into the future. The next season both have yet to schedule a Power Five school in the nonconference is 2031.
After that, at least one team has a Power Five opponent on its schedule until 2037. With the current outlook, the bitter rivalry may not have another matchup on the gridiron until Mike Gundy is 70.
This is not the first time a team moving from the Big 12 to the SEC has ended. When Texas A&M made its move to the SEC in 2012, its rivalry with Texas came to an end. Despite efforts from Texas legislators, the series has not been played since 2011 after being played every year since 1915.
However, their series will return next season, and it may be a look into how Bedlam could return in the future. With Texas going with OU to the SEC next season, its series with Texas A&M will resume as an SEC matchup.
Considering the volatility of conference realignment in college sports, Bedlam’s best chance of returning may not be a nonconference affair. With the scheduling complications of a potential nonconference Bedlam, an OSU move to the SEC could get the series back in action well before 2037 or even 2031.
Although none of those scenarios are likely or imminent, the possibility of a significant move like that cannot be ruled out entirely. But with so many things that need to fall in place for the next OSU-OU football game, Saturday’s matchup has been touted as the last Bedlam for good reason.
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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.