The Bedlam rivalry might be on life support, but there’s a growing push from both sides of the Oklahoma football divide to bring it back-and this time, it’s not just coaches or fans making noise. It’s city hall.
Norman mayor Stephen Tyler Holman and Stillwater mayor Will Joyce have teamed up in an effort to revive the annual showdown between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The two city leaders co-authored a piece of legislation that, if passed by the state legislature, would make it a legal requirement for the Sooners and Cowboys to face off in football every year in a home-and-home series.
That’s right-Bedlam, by law.
“It passed the body unanimously with no debate,” Holman said during a Norman city council meeting Tuesday. “So it will go to legislature for consideration, whether it actually happens or not.”
The motivation? Economic impact. Holman made it clear that from a dollars-and-cents perspective, there’s just more juice in a Bedlam matchup than a nonconference game against, say, New Mexico or UTEP.
“In Norman’s case, we will be playing New Mexico and UTEP at home next year,” Holman said. “So a nonconference game against OSU would be much more beneficial to the local Norman economy than playing New Mexico or UTEP.
And same thing for Stillwater. It’d be much more beneficial for their local economy to have OU come visit every other season.”
There’s no denying the financial ripple effect that comes with a rivalry game like Bedlam. Hotels fill up.
Restaurants stay packed. Local businesses thrive.
And beyond the economic bump, there’s the cultural weight of the game-one of the longest-running and most heated rivalries in college football, now on pause since Oklahoma’s move to the SEC after the 2023 season.
That pause has sparked plenty of finger-pointing between fanbases over who’s to blame for the game’s absence. But one person who isn’t interested in the blame game is new Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris. He just wants Bedlam back.
“I’d love to get on the phone with anybody that we know that can help us bring that game back,” Morris said. “And if they’re asking if Coach Morris welcomes that game, I welcome it with open arms.”
Morris made his stance clear during his introductory press conference, and it’s a message that’s resonating with fans who want to see the rivalry return to the field, not just live on in message boards and memories.
But here’s the rub: rescheduling Bedlam isn’t as simple as drawing up a new contract. College football’s nonconference schedules are planned years-sometimes more than a decade-in advance. And both OU and OSU have already filled most of their dance cards.
For Oklahoma State, the next 10 years include matchups with Oregon (2026), Arkansas (2027, 2032, 2033), Alabama (2028, 2029), and Nebraska (2034, 2035). The only open windows without a Power Conference opponent? 2030 and 2031.
Oklahoma’s nonconference slate is just as tight. The Sooners are lined up to face Michigan (2026), SMU (2027), Houston (2028), Nebraska (2029, 2030), and Clemson (2035, 2036). That leaves 2031 as the first year where both teams are free from Power Conference commitments in the nonconference.
So even if the legislation gets the green light, there’s still a maze of scheduling logistics to navigate before Bedlam can officially return. Contracts would need to be adjusted, future opponents reshuffled, and both athletic departments would have to be on board.
But what’s clear is that the appetite is there-from city officials, from a new head coach, and from fans on both sides of the rivalry. Bedlam may be dormant, but it’s far from forgotten. And if the mayors of Norman and Stillwater have their way, it won’t stay that way for long.