Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma football: What fans need to know about Bedlam Saturday

By Chip Rouse

STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 30: Defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins #7 of the Oklahoma Sooners rushes quarterback Dru Brown #6 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the fourth quarter on November 30, 2019 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OU won 34-16. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 30: Defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins #7 of the Oklahoma Sooners rushes quarterback Dru Brown #6 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the fourth quarter on November 30, 2019 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OU won 34-16. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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It’s Bedlam week, and for Oklahoma football fans that is the second most important week of the season next to Red River rivalry week or any week with a championship on the line.

The rivalry with Oklahoma State has been dominated by Oklahoma. The Sooners are 90-19-7 against their in-state rivals, including win streaks of 19, 15, 11 and 8 games. Some would say that a .775 winning percentage against a longtime foe does not classify as a rivalry.

OU’s 90 wins versus Oklahoma State are a program best over one opponent and second most by any FBS team.

On Saturday in Norman, OU will be seeking its seventh win in the last eight games against Oklahoma State. The Sooners lost last season in Stillwater, 37-33, snapping a six-game win streak. Less than 24 hours later Lincoln Riley announced his bombshell decision to leave the Oklahoma job for USC and the land of sunshine and star power.

The Oklahoma-Oklahoma State Bedlam series is the Sooners’ second longest continuing series. This will be the 117th game between the Sooners and Cowboys, just one less than the 118 games in the Oklahoma-Texas rivalry series.

Oklahoma State comes into Saturday’s game with a 7-3 overall record, 4-3 in the Big 12 and No. 24 in this week’s Associated Press and Coaches Poll rankings. This will be just the third time since the 2000 season that the Sooners have not been ranked at the time of the Bedlam game.

It’s interesting to note that the two previous times since 2000 the Sooners were not ranked entering their game with Oklahoma State, they won both times (42-14 in 2005 and 27-0 in 2014 over No. 11 OSU). Also, both of those games were played in Norman.

Over the past 20 years, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State own the best two cumulative overall records among Big 12 teams. During that time (2003 to present), the Sooners have a record of 208-54 (.794). The Cowboys are next at 172-81 (.680).

This will be Brent Venables first Bedlam game as head coach. He was 10-3 as a Sooner assistant/defensive coordinator under Bob Stoops. Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy is 3-14 against OU as head coach. He was also 0-4 versus the Sooners when he was a quarterback at his alma mater and 3-6-1 as an Oklahoma State assistant. In sum, Gundy’s record against the Sooners as a player, assistant coach and head coach is a collective 6-24-1.

Saturday’s Bedlam matchup will be Oklahoma’s second night contest of the season (the Kent State game in Week 2 was the other). The game is scheduled for the 6:30 p.m. CT time slot and will be broadcast on ABC with Dave Pasch doing play-by-play and former Oklahoma player Dusty Dvoracek providing analysis. Tom Luginbill will be on the sidelines.

The Las Vegas handicappers have Oklahoma as a 7.5-point favorite as of Tuesday. Interestingly, the Sooners have been favored in every game but Texas this season, although their 5-5 record doesn’t reflect it.

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