Nation has taken notice of Bedlam
NORMAN — Bedlam football wasn't always a big deal. And yes, you holdouts, it is a big deal now.
But there was a time when the pollsters took no notice. A time when ESPN or its forerunner, the Eastern Press, paid no attention.
Heck, when I was a kid, we didn't even attach the Bedlam name to the football rivalry. That was reserved for wrestling and basketball and the more frenzied athletic competition.
That was then. Now, the best Bedlam entertainment occurs on the gridiron.
Oh, the results are about the same. OSU rarely wins. Just twice in Mike Gundy's 15 cracks at the Sooners, despite this being the golden age of Cowboy
football. OSU is the Big 12's second-most successful program and has become a national football brand.
But man, the games are good: 48-47 in 2018, 62-52 in 2017, 38-35 in overtime in 2014, 33-24 in the ice of 2013, 51-48 in overtime in 2011, 47-41 in 2010, 61-41 in 2008. The greatest show on red earth is Bedlam football.
“This game is always a big one for this program,” OU center Creed Humphrey said. “It's a great rivalry. Always great games in this one. Always a fun one to play in. They're always ready to play us. We're always ready to play them.”
The nation has noticed. ESPN's College GameDay will be in Norman for the game, and it's the seventh Bedlam game to draw the iconic Saturday show. Only five rivalries have hosted GameDay more: Alabama-LSU and Ohio State-Penn State 11 times each, and Florida State-Florida, Tennessee-Florida and Miami-Florida State eight times each.
“The years I've played, this is two out of the four times that College GameDay is going to be there,” said OSU senior receiver Dillon Stoner. “That in and of itself speaks to the importance of how big this game really is. It's truly a dream come true to be a part of it. College GameDay being there is enough said.”
It's strange that such a one-sided series could hold such status. The Sooners lead the series 89-18-7, a winning percentage of .811 that is largely unchanged through the eras. For much of its history, Bedlam football was a regional affair. State bragging rights were the highest stakes. Conference supremacy never was on the line.
Networks weren't interested.
But then OSU became consistently competitive in the Les Miles days (2001-04), and Gundy built upon it, and now the Cowboys are the Sooners' most consistent Big 12 threat. Yes, moreso than Texas.
“Just being around football, it's one of those rivalries you hear about,” said OU safety Tre Norwood, who hails from just across the state line, in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
For good reason. The teams meet Saturday night on Owen Field, with the Cowboys ranked 14th in the AP poll and the Sooners 18th. Since the start of the 2003 season, it's the 11th time both teams have been ranked at the time of their game.
In college football, only three other rivalries over that time have matched ranked teams more often: LSUFlorida 14, Alabama-LSU 13, OU-Texas 12. And Bedlam is even more impressive when you remember almost all of those games have come late in the season. OU-Texas usually is staged the second Saturday of October, before the Longhorns have had time to play their way out of the rankings.
“I've definitely learned the Oklahoma traditions since I've gotten out here,” said OU fullback Jeremiah Hall, who is from Charlotte, North Carolina. “It took me about a year to hop on board just like everybody else. But man, this game means a lot to me simply because it's always hard-fought whether it's on the field, just everything about it, no matter the record, no matter the previous games.
“It's just like Texas. Every year is new. So yeah, I've definitely grown to love this game.”
Bedlam on the level with the Red River Rivalry? That's heresy in Sooner Nation.
But while Bedlam can't match the State Fair of Texas atmosphere, or the centurylong history of two storied programs, Bedlam can trump OU-Texas in importance. Bedlam has become the Big 12 game that most often carries the biggest impact on the conference standings.
And the nation knows it.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:405:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at oklahoman.com/berrytramel.