Mike Gundy wants to revive Bedlam vs. Oklahoma in spring football idea

Bedlam was consigned to the history books after Oklahoma left for the SEC, but Oklahoma State's head coach thinks the rivalry can be resurrected in a preseason exhibition showcase.

Mike Gundy wants to resurrect Bedlam, in the form of a spring football game against Oklahoma / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Springtime in college football is starting to look different than in previous years as some schools do away with or radically alter what the spring game format looks like in the new era.

Colorado and Syracuse are looking to spice it up by introducing a competitive element and have two different teams practice and play against each other in the preseason exhibition.

And now, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy is getting in on the fun, suggesting they can revive the famous Bedlam football rivalry with Oklahoma, by playing it in the spring.

“That’s something we’ve talked about,” Gundy said of competitive practices and exhibitions.

“I think it’s a great idea... Honestly, for us, we should do a home and home with OU in the spring ... They should come here on the 19th. I think theirs is earlier in the year. We should go down there and play a home-and-home against each other in the spring.”

The schools can split the revenue and put it towards their respective player compensation, too.

“Charge $25 a head. They can use it for NIL. We can use it for NIL,” Gundy said.

“If they don’t want to do two in one spring, we can do one here this year, do it there next year, and split the gate. Because we get tired of practicing against each other.”

That was Deion Sanders’ line at Colorado, as well, when he suggested his team could line up against another school in an NFL-style joint practice leading into a competitive exhibition game.

Gundy’s idea could gain some traction among fans in the state, most of whom were dismayed to see the end of the Bedlam football rivalry after Oklahoma departed for the SEC.

The series dates back to 1904, and while the Sooners own a commanding 91-20-7 lead against the Cowboys, it was still one of college football’s most passionate hostilities every season.

And it was closer in recent years, too, as Oklahoma State won two of the last three against OU, including a 27-24 victory in the final 2024 meeting.

Still, even if Gundy was able to orchestrate a spring game with the Sooners, the animosity level on the field would have to come way down.

“It’s not going to be a live game,” he said.

“I don’t know what Coach Venables would say, but I would be concerned with making it live, just because of injury. But nobody really has live scrimmages anymore, so you make it a full thud, like we’re doing, and practice against each other. Just like the NFL.”

NCAA bylaws currently prohibit teams from playing competitive practices and games against each other during the spring practice window, but Colorado and Syracuse recently filed paperwork with the NCAA to make a change to that rule.

We’ll see if anything comes of that, and if it does, whether the Sooners and Cowboys would like to get in on it.

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