Oklahoma State HC Eric Morris Makes Strong Statement on Possible Bedlam Return
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Oklahoma State’s new head coach seems ready to renew the program’s biggest rivalry.
On Monday, OSU officially began its next era of Cowboy football with the introduction of Eric Morris as the program’s next head coach. After Mike Gundy had been OSU’s coach for the past 21 years, the Cowboys are hoping Morris can bring the program’s next stretch of success to Stillwater.
While there are many questions about what the Morris era might look like for the Cowboys, he didn’t hesitate to address one of the biggest questions surrounding the OSU program for the past couple of seasons. Since Oklahoma moved to the SEC after the 2023 season, Bedlam has been off the schedule, with the in-state rivalry now needing to be a nonconference contest.
Despite the many issues with scheduling the game, OSU’s new coach clearly isn’t afraid of getting the in-state rivalry back on the schedule at some point.
“I’d love to get on the phone with anybody that we know that could help us bring that game back,” Morris said. “If they’re asking if Coach Morris welcomes that game, I’d welcome it with open arms.”
The most recent edition of Bedlam came in 2023 in the final game between OSU and Oklahoma as Big 12 foes, with the Cowboys handing the Sooners their final Big 12 loss in a 27-24 thriller. While that matchup will be remembered for many reasons, including being the last signature moment of Gundy’s career at OSU, it also seems like it will be remembered for quite some time as the last Bedlam on the football field.
Meanwhile, OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg’s message about bringing Bedlam back remained consistent.
“We’re not against playing that game,” Weiberg said. It just has to work out with the schedule. They’ve got new scheduling parameters now, so we’ll just continue to have to work through when the timing is right.”
That sentiment has been the same on both sides of the rivalry, with neither side willing to budge on the schedules that had already been in place before the Sooners’ abrupt exit from the Big 12. Over the next few years, Bedlam will be played in plenty of other sports, and the spirit of the rivalry will live on in that aspect, but any hopes of Bedlam on the gridiron are slim for quite some time, even if OSU’s new coach is willing to take on the Sooners tomorrow.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.