Oklahoma versus Oklahoma State. Sooners versus Cowboys. Bedlam.
It’s one of the biggest rivalries in all of college football. Every year, Bedlam brings out the best, but moreso the worst, in all of Oklahoma sports fans. The last decade or so of Bedlam has given us sports fans some of the most memorable moments. Brennan Clay’s touchdown in overtime to beat the Pokes, 51-48 in overtime; 2008’s 61-41 shootout to secure the Big 12 south title for the Sooners; last year’s 38-20 victory in Norman to clinch another Big 12 title for Oklahoma.
You may be wondering why I only listed victories by Oklahoma. Well, that’s simply because the Cowboys just haven’t won very much.
When I think of college football rivalries, I usually think of two great football programs competing every year in a toss up to determine the winner. And historically… Bedlam hasn’t been that. The Sooners have completely dominated the Pokes for the last 110 years. Even with the hiring of Mike “Mullet King” Gundy in 2005 that elevated the Cowboys to being one of the top 25 programs every year, the Mullet King has still only beaten the Sooners twice in his 12-year tenure.
As Bedlam approaches this weekend, here are five statistics that make Bedlam hard to call a true “rivalry”
The Sooners lead the series, 86-18-7.
That’s right. Oklahoma has almost 70 more wins in this series than the Pokes. If OSU keeps this pace, it will take more than 400 years for them to notch their 86th win
The #Sooners once won 19 straight Bedlam games. #OKState has 18 wins total.
— Blinkin (@blinkinriley) October 30, 2017
This streak occurred from 1940 to 1964. But hey, the Pokes finally broke it with a 17-16 victory in 1965. Go pokes!!! Also, Oklahoma State has yet win 19 games in the series.
Oklahoma has 10 Big 12 championships. Oklahoma State has one.
Oklahoma State had a chance to finally make the national championship game the year they took the crown, but lost in Iowa State in double overtime. Classic.
The Oklahoma State fight song is the worst fight song in all of college football.
The OSU nickname is “Pokes”.
I mean, what kind of name is that?
I could have listed many more reasons, but I did not want to embarrass OSU fans too badly. But hey, maybe they get their 19th win of the series on Saturday. Only 76 more to go!