Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have a football rivalry that dates back over a century. With the Sooners’ imminent move to the SEC (along with Texas), the future of the Bedlam series is in jeopardy. For new Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, though, that issue is not currently front of mind.
Speaking at Big 12 Media Days on Thursday, Venables sidestepped questions about the rivalry’s future, instead choosing to focus on doing all he could to beat the Cowboys for the matchups to come.
“I’m not going to focus on the move [to the SEC], but I am focused on winning the state,” Venables said, per Dean Straka of 247Sports. “There is a long history and tradition of over 100 years playing Bedlam. Regardless of however the scores have been, it’s important. The foundation is important. You have to have some hate and heart for your rival. I have respect for Mike Gundy and the success and their coaches and their players. They obviously have done a lot of things really well.”
Last season, the Cowboys snapped a six-year losing streak against the Sooners with a thrilling 37–33 win in what ended up being former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley’s final game with the school before his abrupt departure to USC. That opened up the job for Venables to take following the 51-year-old’s decade-long stint as Clemson’s defensive coordinator.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are set to face off in Norman this season on Nov. 19.
“Year round in this state, it is important to so many people,” Venables said. “It brings a lot of joy and a lot of heartache to a lot of people. It will be great focus for us and exciting at the end when we meet up again.”
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