Bedlam Series
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The Bedlam Series is the name given to the Oklahoma–Oklahoma State rivalry. It refers to the athletics rivalry between the 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; 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.
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, more particularly the raucous crowds that attended the matches held at Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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. The rivalry was played without interruption from 1910 through 2023, and alternated between the two respective campuses. Since 2011, games in odd-numbered years were 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 (ISBN1-60239-099-1). 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. 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.
With its victory in 2023, Oklahoma State holds the Bedlam Bell and will continue to do so through at least 2028.
Game results
| Oklahoma victories | Oklahoma State victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.DateLocationWinnerScore1November 5, 1904GuthrieOklahoma75–02October 12, 1906StillwaterOklahoma23–03November 9, 1907NormanOklahoma67–04October 3, 1908StillwaterOklahoma18–05October 21, 1910NormanOklahoma12–06October 20, 1911StillwaterOklahoma22–07November 16, 1912NormanOklahoma16–08November 21, 1913StillwaterOklahoma7–09November 6, 1914NormanOklahoma28–610November 25, 1915Oklahoma CityOklahoma26–711November 30, 1916Oklahoma CityOklahoma41–712November 29, 1917Oklahoma CityOklahoma A&M9–013November 28, 1918Oklahoma CityOklahoma27–014November 27, 1919Oklahoma CityOklahoma33–615November 13, 1920StillwaterOklahoma36–016October 15, 1921NormanOklahoma6–017November 25, 1922StillwaterTie3–318October 27, 1923NormanOklahoma12–019November 1, 1924StillwaterOklahoma A&M6–020November 26, 1925NormanOklahoma35–021November 25, 1926StillwaterTie14–1422November 19, 1927NormanOklahoma A&M13–723November 24, 1928StillwaterOklahoma46–024November 23, 1929NormanTie7–725November 22, 1930StillwaterOklahoma A&M7–026November 26, 1931NormanTie0–027October 29, 1932StillwaterOklahoma A&M7–028November 23, 1933NormanOklahoma A&M13–029November 22, 1934StillwaterTie0–030November 28, 1935NormanOklahoma25–031November 26, 1936StillwaterOklahoma35–1332November 20, 1937NormanOklahoma16–033November 26, 1938Stillwater#6 Oklahoma19–034October 28, 1939Norman#6 Oklahoma41–035October 5, 1940NormanOklahoma29–2736September 27, 1941NormanOklahoma19–037September 26, 1942StillwaterTie0–038October 2, 1943Oklahoma CityOklahoma22–1339November 25, 1944Oklahoma CityOklahoma A&M28–640November 24, 1945Norman#6 Oklahoma A&M47–041November 30, 1946Stillwater#17 Oklahoma73–1242November 29, 1947Norman#20 Oklahoma21–1343November 27, 1948Stillwater#6 Oklahoma19–1544November 26, 1949Norman#3 Oklahoma41–045December 2, 1950Stillwater#1 Oklahoma41–1446December 1, 1951Norman#10 Oklahoma41–647November 29, 1952Stillwater#4 Oklahoma54–748November 28, 1953Norman#4 Oklahoma42–749November 27, 1954Stillwater#3 Oklahoma14–050November 26, 1955Norman#1 Oklahoma53–051December 1, 1956Stillwater#1 Oklahoma53–052November 30, 1957Norman#5 Oklahoma53–653November 29, 1958Stillwater#3 Oklahoma7–054November 28, 1959Norman#17 Oklahoma17–755November 26, 1960StillwaterOklahoma17–656December 2, 1961NormanOklahoma21–1357December 1, 1962Stillwater#8 Oklahoma37–658November 30, 1963Norman#10 Oklahoma34–1059November 28, 1964StillwaterOklahoma21–1660December 4, 1965NormanOklahoma State17–16No.DateLocationWinnerScore61December 3, 1966StillwaterOklahoma State15–1462December 2, 1967Norman#3 Oklahoma38–1463November 30, 1968Stillwater#11 Oklahoma41–764November 29, 1969StillwaterOklahoma28–2765November 28, 1970NormanOklahoma66–666December 4, 1971Stillwater#3 Oklahoma58–1467December 2, 1972Norman#3 Oklahoma38–1568December 1, 1973Stillwater#2 Oklahoma45–1869November 30, 1974Norman#1 Oklahoma44–1370November 1, 1975Stillwater#2 Oklahoma27–771October 23, 1976NormanOklahoma State31–2472November 5, 1977Stillwater#3 Oklahoma61–2873November 18, 1978Norman#4 Oklahoma62–774November 3, 1979Stillwater#7 Oklahoma38–775November 29, 1980Norman#6 Oklahoma63–1476November 28, 1981StillwaterOklahoma27–377October 23, 1982Norman#20 Oklahoma27–978October 15, 1983Stillwater#15 Oklahoma21–2079November 24, 1984Norman#2 Oklahoma24–1480November 30, 1985Stillwater#3 Oklahoma13–081October 18, 1986Norman#5 Oklahoma19–082November 7, 1987Norman#1 Oklahoma29–1083November 5, 1988Stillwater#8 Oklahoma31–2884October 7, 1989Norman#16 Oklahoma37–1585October 6, 1990Stillwater#7 Oklahoma31–1786November 16, 1991Norman#18 Oklahoma21–687November 14, 1992StillwaterTie15–1588November 13, 1993Norman#17 Oklahoma31–089November 13, 1994StillwaterOklahoma33–1490November 11, 1995NormanOklahoma State12–091November 9, 1996StillwaterOklahoma27–1792November 8, 1997Norman#25 Oklahoma State30–793October 24, 1998StillwaterOklahoma State41–2694November 27, 1999NormanOklahoma44–795November 25, 2000Stillwater#1 Oklahoma12–796November 24, 2001NormanOklahoma State16–1397November 30, 2002StillwaterOklahoma State38–2898November 1, 2003Norman#1 Oklahoma52–999October 30, 2004Stillwater#2 Oklahoma38–35100November 26, 2005NormanOklahoma42–14101November 25, 2006Stillwater#13 Oklahoma27–21102November 24, 2007Norman#10 Oklahoma49–17103November 29, 2008Stillwater#3 Oklahoma61–41104November 28, 2009NormanOklahoma27–0105November 27, 2010Stillwater#14 Oklahoma47–41106December 3, 2011Stillwater#3 Oklahoma State44–10107November 24, 2012Norman#13 Oklahoma51–48 OT108December 7, 2013Stillwater#17 Oklahoma33–24109December 6, 2014NormanOklahoma State38–35 OT110November 28, 2015Stillwater#3 Oklahoma58–23111December 3, 2016Norman#5 Oklahoma38–20112November 4, 2017Stillwater#5 Oklahoma62–52113November 10, 2018Norman#6 Oklahoma48–47114November 30, 2019Stillwater#7 Oklahoma34–16115November 21, 2020Norman#18 Oklahoma41–13116November 27, 2021Stillwater#7 Oklahoma State37–33117November 19, 2022NormanOklahoma28–13118November 4, 2023Stillwater#22 Oklahoma State27–24Series: Oklahoma leads 91–20–7 | ||||
| 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 | Tie | 3–3 |
| 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 | Tie | 14–14 |
| 22 | November 19, 1927 | Norman | Oklahoma A&M | 13–7 |
| 23 | November 24, 1928 | Stillwater | Oklahoma | 46–0 |
| 24 | November 23, 1929 | Norman | Tie | 7–7 |
| 25 | November 22, 1930 | Stillwater | Oklahoma A&M | 7–0 |
| 26 | November 26, 1931 | Norman | Tie | 0–0 |
| 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 | Tie | 0–0 |
| 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 | Tie | 0–0 |
| 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. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 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 | Tie | 15–15 |
| 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 9, 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 91–20–7 |
Men's basketball
Started in 1916, Oklahoma leads the all-time series in men's basketball with a record of 136–106 as of 2025. The Sooners have won 21 of the last 38 meetings. However, the Cowboys have gone 11–7 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 met seven times in the Big 12 tournament, where the Cowboys have gone 6–1 against the Sooners. 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.
Wrestling
Oklahoma State holds a lopsided advantage in the schools' wrestling rivalry, the original "Bedlam Series." Wrestling Bedlam began in 1920. Football Bedlam began in 1904. The Cowboys wrestling program currently holds a 153–27–10 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. 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. 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
- List of NCAA college football rivalry games
- List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I
External links
- at OKState.com
- at SoonerSports.com
- First person interview conducted on March 31, 2011, with Bob Barry Sr. Original audio and transcript archived with