Oklahoma St. v. Oklahoma

This is one of the great underrated rivalries in college sports.  Most folks don't know much about the Oklahoma/Oklahoma St. rivalry, mainly because the Sooners lead the all-time series by a whopping 83-17-7.  But Oklahoma State has a big fan base in the Sooner State, and the Cowboys have a richer tradition than Oklahoma in a number of other sports, such as basketball.  As a result, the Bedlam Series (as it is known in Oklahoma) is a big deal in a state that loves sports as much as any state in the Union.  Any time OU and OSU meet, in any sport, there is a lot at stake.

Today, of course, there is more at stake than usual.  With one day left in the regular season, here are the standings in the Big XII:

Oklahoma St:  7-1

Baylor:  7-1

Texas:  7-1

Oklahoma:  6-2

Kansas St:  5-4

Texas Tech:  4-5

Texas Christian:  2-7

W. Virginia:  2-7

Iowa St:  2-7

Kansas:  1-8

Oklahoma State has already beaten Baylor and Texas, so the Pokes hold all the tiebreakers.  If they beat Oklahoma today, OSU will win the Big XII and probably go to the Fiesta Bowl.  They will also keep the UCFC.  On the other hand, if OSU loses, then the winner of the Baylor/Texas game will get the Big XII title, and the Sooners will take the UCFC.

It is rare for Oklahoma to be playing the role of spoiler in this game, but the Sooners will likely not be intimidated.  They've only lost to the Cowboys once since 2002.

This will be the third time OU and OSU have met for the UCFC.  On December 1, 1956, OU capped off a national championship season with a 53-0 victory over Oklahoma State.  On November 29, 2008, OU successfully defended the UCFC in one of the highest-scoring title games ever:  a wild 61-41 win for the Sooners over the Cowboys.

The oddsmakers don't give Oklahoma much of a chance -- they have installed OSU as a 10-point favorite in a game expected to total 57 points.  That would work out to something like a 34-24 win for the Cowboys.  Of course, OSU fans would like something like the 44-10 beatdown they put on OU in 2011 -- the last time the Sooners came to Stillwater.  But my guess is that they would be happy with a 10-point victory as well.