 | |
| First meeting | 1900 (track and field) 1904 (football) |
|---|---|
The Bedlam Series is the name given to the Oklahoma–Oklahoma State rivalry.[1][2] It refers to the athletics rivalry between Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Big 12 Conference and the University of Oklahoma Sooners of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Both schools were also members of the Big Eight Conference before the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996, and both were divisional rivals in the Big 12 South Division prior to 2011. Since Bedlam began in 1900, 40 years of the rivalry's games were played without the teams playing in the same conference. The rivalry concluded as an annual conference matchup for football following the 2023–24 NCAA Division I FBS season, after which Oklahoma joined the SEC;[3] while scheduling issues preclude the resumption of the Bedlam Series for football until the 2031 season, the Series will continue for basketball as a non-conference game for the 2024–25 season.[4][5]
The Bedlam Series is, like most other intrastate rivalries, a rivalry that goes beyond one or two sports. Both schools also have rivalries with other schools, though most of those rivalries are limited to one or two sports at the most.
While the football and basketball games stand today as the marquee events in the Bedlam Series, the term "Bedlam" actually began with the rivalry between the schools' prestigious wrestling programs,[6] more particularly the raucous crowds that attended the matches held at Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena.[7]
- ^ World, Tulsa. "The Bedlam Series". Tulsa World. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ "Nobody really knows why OU-OSU is called 'Bedlam'". November 3, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Oklahoma, Oklahoma State men's hoops to be part of Bedlam series". ESPN. Associated Press. September 11, 2024.
- ^ "Bedlam Basketball to be Played at Oklahoma City's Paycom Center". KWTV-DT. September 11, 2024 – via OSU Athletics.
- ^ "Postscript: The Historic Field House" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. Summer 2011. p. 32.
- ^ "Facilities: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Oklahoma State Official Athletic Site)". Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.