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Now that all the turkey and pie and oven-baked sides have settled, the stage is set for one of the more entertaining contests in college football. I’m talking about Bedlam, folks. The No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners (10-1, 7-1) are taking on an upstart No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-1, 7-1) team looking to reassert itself in this historically competitive yet demonstrably lopsided rivalry. With serious CFP implications on the line, a Crimson & Cream win would guarantee a Bedlam rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game next weekend.
Toby Rowland, aka the voice of OU Football, now has the floor. Take it away, my good man.
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State injury report, spread, over/under, TV channel The Oklahoma injury report for the Oklahoma State game includes nine Sooners. Four players are listed as “out”: WR Cody Jackson (medical issue); LB Caleb Kelly (knee, out for the season); CB Ryan Peoples (ankle, out indefinitely), and DB Jeremiah Criddell (undisclosed injury, out indefinitely). […]
For the first time this season, OU will take on the role of the underdog.
The final weekend of college football’s regular season is finally here as the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners (10-1, 7-1) prepare to take on the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-1, 7-1) in what is shaping up to be a Bedlam showdown for the ages. Inside this top 10 matchup, OU is still working to secure its spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, while OSU has already punched its ticket to Arlington. Could this be the first part of a back-to-back battle for the conference crown between these two teams? Stay tuned to find out.
In his fourth season at OSU, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has firmly established himself as one of the top assistants in college football. By the numbers, Oklahoma State ranks first in the nation in third down defense (.244), first in team sacks and tackles-for-loss (43.0 and 90.0), second in scoring defense (14.91) and third in total defense (267.5 ypg). Those stats are wildly exceptional by virtually every measure, but perhaps even more impressive than those statistics has been how this group has limited and/or shut down just about every offense it’s faced in 2021.
A defense playing at the level the Cowboys are playing at doesn’t do anything to ease the minds of Sooners fans going into this weekend, especially considering OU’s recent offensive struggles over the last two games. Lincoln Riley’s offense was a bit more productive last Saturday than it was in Waco, but going against one of the very best defenses in the nation will pose a steep challenge that may be too difficult to overcome on the road.
Can Oklahoma’s D-line control the game?
Coming into the season, Oklahoma’s defensive line was expected to be the strength of the team, but through 11 games, that unit has been somewhat inconsistent week-by-week. Still, between Isaiah Thomas, Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey and Jalen Redmond, those four Sooners have a combined 21.0 sacks on the season which is better than the total team efforts of 37 FBS schools. If they play up to their capabilities in Stillwater — and that won’t be easy to do against an Oklahoma State O-line that has only given up 12 sacks on the year — then OU should have a good chance to leave Boone Pickens Stadium with the win.
OSU players to watch
Offensively, keep an eye on RB Jaylen Warren and WR Tay Martin for the Cowboys. Both skill players have shown a knack for breaking off a big play or two as their touches increase throughout games, and both have been models of consistency. Defensively, you could list just about any starter here and it would be a valid choice, but pay attention to LB Devin Harper. He’s a terror who will try to make a life difficult for Caleb Williams in the backfield, so the Sooners’ must do whatever they can to keep him from disrupting their offensive flow.
Bedlam rematch scenarios for the Big 12 title
An OU win this Saturday would force a Sooners-Cowboys rematch in Arlington on Dec. 3, but that isn’t the only path to the Big 12 Championship Game for the Crimson & Cream. Hours before OU and OSU square off at 6:30 p.m., Baylor hosts Texas Tech at 11 a.m. If the Red Raiders manage to upset the Bears, that would guarantee a Bedlam rematch for all the conference marbles, regardless of what happens this weekend in Stillwater.
Prediction
Expect this game to play out exactly how it looks on paper with defense ruling the day. Now, even though Oklahoma State is already a lock to play in the Big 12 title game, the OSU players and home crowd will be completely fired up for this one. OU is walking into an angry hornet’s nest, and it’s going to need Caleb Williams and the offensive line to turn in one of the cleanest performances of the season if the Sooners want any chance at walking away with a win. On defense, Oklahoma will have an opportunity to take advantage of at least a couple mistakes from Spencer Sanders and company, but overall, expect field position and special teams to decide who prevails in Bedlam. With that said, give me the road ‘dogs with a walk-off field goal.
Hardly ever does a Lincoln Riley-coached Oklahoma football team go into a regular-season or even a conference championship game as an underdog. But that is precisely the situation this week as the 10-1 and 10th-ranked Sooners face a steeply uphill battle against their in-state rivals, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, in hostile territory in Stillwater. In […]
This week’s slate includes Texas-Kansas State, Ohio State-Michigan and the Egg Bowl.
Blatant Homerism host Allen Kenney is joined by The Skinny for a Thanksgiving edition of their weekly college football gambling podcast. This week’s slate of games includes Texas-Kansas State, Ohio State-Michigan and the Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. They close talking about the annual Bedlam game in which the Sooners enter the game as clear underdogs.
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