Gundy's Cowboys have golden opportunity for a breakthrough
The Big 12 staged a championship game its first 15 seasons as a conference, with the North and South division winners playing. But in those days, 1996-2010, OSU only twice was a contender for the division crown. And the Cowboys failed to qualify in either 1997 or 2010.
When the title game returned in 2017, the landscape was different. The OSU program was rolling, but there were no divisions. The top two teams in the league were matched in Arlington, Texas, for the trophy.
And that was a problem for the Cowboys. Rolling, too, at an even higher level, was arch-rival Oklahoma. Which meant OSU's task was squared. To win the Big 12, the Cowboys most years would have to beat the Sooners twice.
Once to make it to Arlington, once in Arlington.
Which brings us to Saturday night on Owen Field. The 14th-ranked Cowboys have been blessed with a streamlined assignment. Beat the 18th-ranked Sooners, and not only does OSU virtually punch
its ticket to the Big 12 Championship Game, but the Cowboys virtually eliminate OU from Arlington contention.
Talk about a golden opportunity.
“We all know what this game means to us and what's at stake here,” said Cowboy defensive end Trace Ford. “The locker room all week, since last week, been filled with energy. Practice has been definitely intense. Everyone's going a lot harder. We know what we have at stake.”
OU's early-season losses to Kansas State and Iowa State pushed the Sooners to the edge of the cliff. OU has had zero margin for error since Oct. 3, if it wants a chance at a sixth straight conference championship.
The Cowboys lost most of their wiggle room with an overtime loss to Texas three weeks ago. If OSU, 4-1 in the Big 12, loses another game, it's unlikely the Cowboys can recover to reach Arlington, since most tie-breaking scenarios
break against them.
Barring a collapse by the Bedlam winner and the Iowa StateTexas winner (they play next Friday), the game Saturday night on Owen Field is an elimination game.
“The way it's set up in our conference, you have to try to win each one of them,” Mike Gundy said of Big 12 games. “If you don't win one to get to the other, then you're in the same boat.”
Not exactly. Losing to a non-contending team is better than losing to a contending team, because of all the tiebreakers likely to be used to settle on an Arlington matchup.
This is a strange season. After Saturday, Big 12 football still will have 12 of its 45 conference games to be played, yet it's possible every league team will at least have two defeats. All that needs to occur is victories by OU in Bedlam and by Kansas State at Iowa State.
So beating OU is paramount for a Cowboy team that has title aspirations. The Cowboys have won the Big 12 just once, in 2011.
The Sooners have won the five straight league
titles, and they've made the championship game their own fiefdom. OU has played in 11 of the last 14 Big 12 title games, going 10-1 in those games.
It's not just OSU that has a hard time beating the Sooners. But OSU's personal torment is vast. OU has dominated Bedlam since the start, including three games before 1907 statehood. The Sooners lead the series 89-18-7.
“OU been kicking my butt since I've stepped on the Oklahoma State campus,” said cornerback Rodarius Williams. “Finally, this year, I feel like we're going to shake some things up around here. I feel like this is going to be the year.”
No time better than 2020, when the Cowboys don't have to beat the Sooners twice. OSU has to win Bedlam but once.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-7608080 or at btramel@ oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at oklahoman.com/berrytramel.