Oklahoma GameDay: After Baylor Victory, Sooners Must Win Bedlam

If the Sooners lose to Oklahoma State, they'll be eliminated from the Big 12 title game and their six-year reign as Big 12 champs will be officially over.

STILLWATER — Four hours from kickoff, Oklahoma now knows exactly what to do.

Ahead of tonight’s Bedlam showdown at Oklahoma State, the No. 10-ranked Sooners watched No. 8 Baylor handle Texas Tech on Saturday, erasing any doubt about the importance of their showdown with the No. 7-ranked Cowboys.

Beat OSU and the Sooners are in the Big 12 Championship Game, where they’ll stage a Bedlam rematch next week in Arlington, TX.

Lose to O-State and Oklahoma is eliminated from championship game contention, meaning OU’s six-year reign over the Big 12 would be officially over.

Baylor’s 27-24 victory over the Red Raiders in Waco earlier Saturday laid out a clear path for the Sooners:

If OU (10-1 overall, 7-1 Big 12) loses tonight at Boone Pickens Stadium, the Bears (10-2, 7-2) advance to play OSU (10-1, 7-1) next Saturday morning at Jerry World.

Both Baylor and Tech started backup quarterbacks, but the Bears held on to win when Texas Tech missed a 53-yard field goal as time expired. That would have forced overtime. Instead, the Baylor team will find a TV  

Technically, OU and Baylor would be tied for second in the standings, but the Bears get the title game bid because of their 27-14 victory over the Sooners in Waco two weeks ago.

Oklahoma State is a 4.5-point favorite tonight in Stillwater, but Oklahoma has won six in a row and has historically dominated the Bedlam series.

Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. on ABC.