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Oklahoma and Oklahoma State’s Bedlam rivalry is one of the fiercest in college football. Unfortunately, this will be the last year we’ll see the series for the foreseeable future.
The Sooners will soon be off to the SEC, leaving their instate rival behind. The Cowboys haven’t taken kindly to the departure, and they don’t seem eager to get OU back on the schedule anytime soon.
“Bedlam is dead,” OSU head coach Mike Gundy said after hearing the original reports. “Bedlam’s not going to be Bedlam after they leave the conference… I think it’s history.”
He went on to mention that since future out of conference schedules have already been set, the ability to squeeze the Sooners in could prove difficult.
“I don’t think it’s feasible. If we’re going to play nine conference games, and we’re scheduled out through ’32 or ’33, every year we have a Power 5 opponent, that would be adding another Power 5 game. That would be 11 games at that level… I just don’t think it’s feasible based on all of the moving parts that have to happen for that to take place.”
But while initial feelings about the continuation of the series seemed grim, the Bedlam rivalry received a positive update this week.
Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione says that he’s had “really good conversations” with Oklahoma State director of athletics Chad Weiberg regarding the future of the rivalry.
Joe C says he has had “really good conversations” with #OkState AD Chad Weiberg about future of #Bedlam football. Nothing available now (contract/date issues w/other schools), but doesn’t sound like it’s off table. Bedlam will continue in other sports going forward. #Sooners
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) June 14, 2023
According to OU beat writer Eric Bailey, the continuation of the series isn’t off the table.
While that seems like good news, it doesn’t seem like fans on either side care all that much.
— Blindenborn (@BLindenborn) June 15, 2023
This Cowboys fan echoed his head coach’s sentiments, saying, “Why waste our ONLY non-conference P5 game on playing in-state OU? We have a 9-game conference schedule, and we will not schedule 2 non-conference P5 games, because NO ONE plays 11 P5 teams in the regular season. OU and the SEC only have an 8-game conference schedule. No thanks.”
Another OSU supporter said, “I’m over it, it can stay gone.”
Some Sooners agreed with this fan writing, “It’s time for OU to move on from their little brother.”
The OU fan posted, “Yeah pass… it helps Oklahoma in no way to play them.”
Time will tell what the future holds in Bedlam.