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Bedlam Series
American college sports rivalry

The Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Cowgirls and the University of Oklahoma Sooners compete in the historic Bedlam Series, an intense rivalry spanning multiple sports since 1900. Formerly members of the Big Eight Conference and later the Big 12 Conference, the football rivalry paused after the 2023–24 NCAA Division I FBS season when Oklahoma moved to the SEC. While football won't resume until 2031 due to scheduling, basketball games continue as non-conference matchups. Originating from heated wrestling bouts at Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena, the Bedlam Series remains a signature rivalry reflecting intense competition and statewide pride across multiple sports.

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Football

The first Bedlam football game was held at Island Park, now known as Mineral Wells Park, in Guthrie, Oklahoma. It was a cold and extremely windy day, with temperatures well below the freezing mark. At one point during the game when the Oklahoma A&M Aggies were punting, the wind carried the ball backwards behind the kicker. If the Oklahoma A&M squad recovered the ball it would be a touchback, but if the University of Oklahoma squad recovered it, it would be a touchdown. The ball rolled down a hill into the half-frozen creek. Since a touchdown was at stake, members of both teams dove into the icy waters to recover the ball. A member of the OU team came out with the ball and downed it for a touchdown. OU won the game, 75–0.8 The rivalry has now been played without interruption since 1910, and alternates between the two respective campuses. Since 2011, games in odd-numbered years are contested in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on the campus of OSU, and games in even-numbered years in Norman, Oklahoma at OU.

In 2007, author Steve Budin, whose father was a New York bookie, publicized a claim that the 1954 Bedlam Game was fixed by mobsters in his book Bets, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (ISBN 1-60239-099-1).9 Allegedly, the mobsters threatened and paid off a cook to slip laxatives into a soup consumed by many OU Sooner starting players, causing them to fall violently ill in the days leading up to the game. OU was victorious in the end, but the 14–0 win did not cover the 20-point spread in OU's favor. However, many people involved in the 1954 contest do not recall any incident like the one purported by Budin to have occurred.10 Nor do any pregame and postgame newspaper articles mention any such condition. One possible reason for the Sooners' lackluster performance, according to one coach, was that the players were "beat up" from the previous game against Nebraska.11

Game results

Oklahoma victoriesOklahoma State victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 November 5, 1904 Guthrie Oklahoma 75–0
2 October 12, 1906 Stillwater Oklahoma 23–0
3 November 9, 1907 Norman Oklahoma 67–0
4 October 3, 1908 Stillwater Oklahoma 18–0
5 October 21, 1910 Norman Oklahoma 12–0
6 October 20, 1911 Stillwater Oklahoma 22–0
7 November 16, 1912 Norman Oklahoma 16–0
8 November 21, 1913 Stillwater Oklahoma 7–0
9 November 6, 1914 Norman Oklahoma 28–6
10 November 25, 1915 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 26–7
11 November 30, 1916 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 41–7
12 November 29, 1917 Oklahoma City Oklahoma A&M 9–0
13 November 28, 1918 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 27–0
14 November 27, 1919 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 33–6
15 November 13, 1920 Stillwater Oklahoma 36–0
16 October 15, 1921 Norman Oklahoma 6–0
17 November 25, 1922 Stillwater Tie3–3
18 October 27, 1923 Norman Oklahoma 12–0
19 November 1, 1924 Stillwater Oklahoma A&M 6–0
20 November 26, 1925 Norman Oklahoma 35–0
21 November 25, 1926 Stillwater Tie14–14
22 November 19, 1927 Norman Oklahoma A&M 13–7
23 November 24, 1928 Stillwater Oklahoma 46–0
24 November 23, 1929 Norman Tie7–7
25 November 22, 1930 Stillwater Oklahoma A&M 7–0
26 November 26, 1931 Norman Tie0–0
27 October 29, 1932 Stillwater Oklahoma A&M 7–0
28 November 23, 1933 Norman Oklahoma A&M 13–0
29 November 22, 1934 Stillwater Tie0–0
30 November 28, 1935 Norman Oklahoma 25–0
31 November 26, 1936 Stillwater Oklahoma 35–13
32 November 20, 1937 Norman Oklahoma 16–0
33 November 26, 1938 Stillwater #6 Oklahoma 19–0
34 October 28, 1939 Norman #6 Oklahoma 41–0
35 October 5, 1940 Norman Oklahoma 29–27
36 September 27, 1941 Norman Oklahoma 19–0
37 September 26, 1942 Stillwater Tie0–0
38 October 2, 1943 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 22–13
39 November 25, 1944 Oklahoma City Oklahoma A&M 28–6
40 November 24, 1945 Norman #6 Oklahoma A&M 47–0
41 November 30, 1946 Stillwater #17 Oklahoma 73–12
42 November 29, 1947 Norman #20 Oklahoma 21–13
43 November 27, 1948 Stillwater #6 Oklahoma 19–15
44 November 26, 1949 Norman #3 Oklahoma 41–0
45 December 2, 1950 Stillwater #1 Oklahoma 41–14
46 December 1, 1951 Norman #10 Oklahoma 41–6
47 November 29, 1952 Stillwater #4 Oklahoma 54–7
48 November 28, 1953 Norman #4 Oklahoma 42–7
49 November 27, 1954 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma 14–0
50 November 26, 1955 Norman #1 Oklahoma 53–0
51 December 1, 1956 Stillwater #1 Oklahoma 53–0
52 November 30, 1957 Norman #5 Oklahoma 53–6
53 November 29, 1958 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma 7–0
54 November 28, 1959 Norman #17 Oklahoma 17–7
55 November 26, 1960 Stillwater Oklahoma 17–6
56 December 2, 1961 Norman Oklahoma 21–13
57 December 1, 1962 Stillwater #8 Oklahoma 37–6
58 November 30, 1963 Norman #10 Oklahoma 34–10
59 November 28, 1964 Stillwater Oklahoma 21–16
60 December 4, 1965 Norman Oklahoma State 17–16
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
61 December 3, 1966 Stillwater Oklahoma State 15–14
62 December 2, 1967 Norman #3 Oklahoma 38–14
63 November 30, 1968 Stillwater #11 Oklahoma 41–7
64 November 29, 1969 Stillwater Oklahoma 28–27
65 November 28, 1970 Norman Oklahoma 66–6
66 December 4, 1971 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma 58–14
67 December 2, 1972 Norman #3 Oklahoma 38–15
68 December 1, 1973 Stillwater #2 Oklahoma 45–18
69 November 30, 1974 Norman #1 Oklahoma 44–13
70 November 1, 1975 Stillwater #2 Oklahoma 27–7
71 October 23, 1976 Norman Oklahoma State 31–24
72 November 5, 1977 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma 61–28
73 November 18, 1978 Norman #4 Oklahoma 62–7
74 November 3, 1979 Stillwater #7 Oklahoma 38–7
75 November 29, 1980 Norman #6 Oklahoma 63–14
76 November 28, 1981 Stillwater Oklahoma 27–3
77 October 23, 1982 Norman #20 Oklahoma 27–9
78 October 15, 1983 Stillwater #15 Oklahoma 21–20
79 November 24, 1984 Norman #2 Oklahoma 24–14
80 November 30, 1985 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma 13–0
81 October 18, 1986 Norman #5 Oklahoma 19–0
82 November 7, 1987 Norman #1 Oklahoma 29–10
83 November 5, 1988 Stillwater #8 Oklahoma 31–28
84 October 7, 1989 Norman #16 Oklahoma 37–15
85 October 6, 1990 Stillwater #7 Oklahoma 31–17
86 November 16, 1991 Norman #18 Oklahoma 21–6
87 November 14, 1992 Stillwater Tie15–15
88 November 13, 1993 Norman #17 Oklahoma 31–0
89 November 13, 1994 Stillwater Oklahoma 33–14
90 November 11, 1995 Norman Oklahoma State 12–0
91 November 8, 1996 Stillwater Oklahoma 27–17
92 November 8, 1997 Norman #25 Oklahoma State 30–7
93 October 24, 1998 Stillwater Oklahoma State 41–26
94 November 27, 1999 Norman Oklahoma 44–7
95 November 25, 2000 Stillwater #1 Oklahoma 12–7
96 November 24, 2001 Norman Oklahoma State 16–13
97 November 30, 2002 Stillwater Oklahoma State 38–28
98 November 1, 2003 Norman #1 Oklahoma 52–9
99 October 30, 2004 Stillwater #2 Oklahoma 38–35
100 November 26, 2005 Norman Oklahoma 42–14
101 November 25, 2006 Stillwater #13 Oklahoma 27–21
102 November 24, 2007 Norman #10 Oklahoma 49–17
103 November 29, 2008 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma 61–41
104 November 28, 2009 Norman Oklahoma 27–0
105 November 27, 2010 Stillwater #14 Oklahoma 47–41
106 December 3, 2011 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma State 44–10
107 November 24, 2012 Norman #13 Oklahoma 51–48 OT
108 December 7, 2013 Stillwater #17 Oklahoma 33–24
109 December 6, 2014 Norman Oklahoma State 38–35 OT
110 November 28, 2015 Stillwater #3 Oklahoma 58–23
111 December 3, 2016 Norman #5 Oklahoma 38–20
112 November 4, 2017 Stillwater #5 Oklahoma 62–52
113 November 10, 2018 Norman #6 Oklahoma 48–47
114 November 30, 2019 Stillwater #7 Oklahoma 34–16
115 November 21, 2020 Norman #18 Oklahoma 41–13
116 November 27, 2021 Stillwater #7 Oklahoma State 37–33
117 November 19, 2022 Norman Oklahoma 28–13
118 November 4, 2023 Stillwater #22 Oklahoma State 27–24
Series: Oklahoma leads 91–20–712

Men's basketball

Since 1916, Oklahoma has led the all-time series record in men's basketball with a record of 135–106. The Sooners have won 20 of the last 37 meetings. However, the Cowboys have gone 11–6 against the Sooners since the end of Travis Ford's tenure as head coach. The Sooners swept the Cowboys in 2018–2019, giving Oklahoma its seventh Bedlam sweep since 2006, including the 2013–2014, 2014–2015 and 2015–2016 regular season Bedlam series. Oklahoma State has swept three times in that span, during the 2016–2017, 2020–2021 and 2022–2023 regular seasons. The two teams have met seven times in the Big 12 tournament, where the Cowboys have gone 6–1 against the Sooners.13 The Sooners have swept the Cowboys most recently in the 2024 season in both meetings, with the most recent being by a buzzer beater three-pointer. After Oklahoma left the Big 12 to become an SEC member starting with the 2024–25 collegiate athletic season, in September 2024, the Sooners and Cowboys announced an agreement to continue the series as a non-conference matchup starting that year, beginning with a neutral venue game held in December 2024 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.1415

Wrestling

Oklahoma State holds a lopsided advantage in the schools' wrestling rivalry, the original "Bedlam Series."1617 Wrestling Bedlam began in 1920. Football Bedlam began in 1904. The Cowboys wrestling program currently holds a 152–27–10 record against the Sooners, which is all the more remarkable considering that both schools have long been national powers in wrestling. Oklahoma has won seven team national championships in its history, while Oklahoma State's wrestling program has a record thirty-four team national titles.18 Oklahoma State has earned 145 individual NCAA titles and 492 All-American honors compared to Oklahoma's 67 individual championships and 278 All-Americans.

Oklahoma will continue to wrestle in the Big 12 even after all its other sports join the SEC. The SEC has not sponsored wrestling since the early 1980s; the only other SEC member with a wrestling program is former Big 8/Big 12 rival Missouri, which returned to the Big 12 for the sport in 2021.

Baseball

Oklahoma State holds the all time Bedlam record in baseball 189-160. The first meeting of the two teams was in 1935 which resulted in a 9-6 win for OU. OSU did not win their first game in baseball against OU until 1937.19 In the final Big 12 conference baseball game between the two schools, Oklahoma State defeated Oklahoma 9–3 to win the 2024 Big 12 tournament.

See also

References

  1. World, Tulsa. "The Bedlam Series". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 13, 2018. https://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/ousportsextra/bedlam/ ↩

  2. "Nobody really knows why OU-OSU is called 'Bedlam'". November 3, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2018. https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/11/3/16577576/bedlam-rivalry-name-oklahoma-osu-history ↩

  3. Shelton, Hunter (September 20, 2022). "Report: Bedlam Series to End Upon Oklahoma Joining SEC". Sports Illustrated Kentucky Wildcats News, Analysis and More. Retrieved September 20, 2022. https://www.si.com/college/kentucky/football/report-bedlam-series-end-upon-oklahoma-joining-sec ↩

  4. "Oklahoma, Oklahoma State men's hoops to be part of Bedlam series". ESPN. Associated Press. September 11, 2024. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41221904/oklahoma-oklahoma-state-men-hoops-part-bedlam-series ↩

  5. "Bedlam Basketball to be Played at Oklahoma City's Paycom Center". KWTV-DT. September 11, 2024 – via OSU Athletics. https://www.news9.com/story/66e1e17e5501586796924a4d/bedlam-basketball-to-be-played-at-oklahoma-citys-paycom-center ↩

  6. "Postscript: The Historic Field House" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. Summer 2011. p. 32. http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/2011v31n4_p32.pdf ↩

  7. "Facilities: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Oklahoma State Official Athletic Site)". Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111111013552/http://www.okstate.com/facilities/gallagher-iba.html ↩

  8. Long, Charles F. (September 1965). "With Optimism For the Morrow: A History of The University of Oklahoma". Sooner Magazine. http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/issue_info.asp?issueID=478 ↩

  9. Budin, Steve; Schaller, Bob (2007). Bets, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Offshore Sports Gambling Empire. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-099-7. 978-1-60239-099-7 ↩

  10. "Book claims '54 Bedlam Game was fixed by mob". ESPN. September 30, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2007. https://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=3043529 ↩

  11. Meece, Volney (November 28, 1954). "Both Dressing Rooms Quiet After Sooners Edge Aggies". The Daily Oklahoman. p. D7. ↩

  12. "Oklahoma State football wins second Bedlam in three seasons to end series & more key stats". The Oklahoman. November 4, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/college/big-12/2023/11/04/oklahoma-state-football-stats-numbers-from-bedlam-win-vs-ou-sooners-ollie-gordon/71454892007/ ↩

  13. "Okstate – Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball series history". Okstate. https://okstate.com/sports/mens-basketball/opponent-history/oklahoma/3 ↩

  14. "Oklahoma, Oklahoma State men's hoops to be part of Bedlam series". ESPN. Associated Press. September 11, 2024. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41221904/oklahoma-oklahoma-state-men-hoops-part-bedlam-series ↩

  15. "Bedlam Basketball to be Played at Oklahoma City's Paycom Center". KWTV-DT. September 11, 2024 – via OSU Athletics. https://www.news9.com/story/66e1e17e5501586796924a4d/bedlam-basketball-to-be-played-at-oklahoma-citys-paycom-center ↩

  16. "Postscript: The Historic Field House" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. Summer 2011. p. 32. http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/2011v31n4_p32.pdf ↩

  17. "Facilities: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Oklahoma State Official Athletic Site)". Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111111013552/http://www.okstate.com/facilities/gallagher-iba.html ↩

  18. "History – Past Champions". NCAA. Archived from the original on November 17, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2006. http://www.ncaasports.com/wrestling/mens/history/divi ↩

  19. Schnautz, Aaron (May 1, 2015). "A (Somewhat) Brief History of Bedlam Baseball". Pistols Firing. Retrieved March 22, 2024. https://pistolsfiringblog.com/a-somewhat-brief-history-of-bedlam-baseball/ ↩