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Game Notes: Oklahoma State Hosts Bedlam Game in Stillwater

The Basics

The Oklahoma State football team (6-2 overall; 4-1 Big 12) hosts No. 10/11 Oklahoma (7-1 overall; 4-1 Big 12) this week in the 118th edition of the Bedlam Series, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, November 4, in Boone Pickens Stadium. With a win, Mike Gundy would become the third coach in history with 100 career Big 12 wins.

On the Air

The game will be televised live on ABC with Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Tom Luginbill on the call. It will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Robert Allen reporting from the sideline. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app. The broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 138 or 199.

All Seven Home Games Sold Out in 2023

Tickets sold out months ago for Oklahoma State's matchup against Oklahoma, and all seven home games for the Cowboys have sold out this year. While no tickets remain for the 2023 season, there is a waitlist for 2024 season tickets that fans can join now through the OSU ticket office. For fans seeking seats at OSU's sold-out games this season, tickets may still be found on SeatGeek, the official resale market of Oklahoma State Athletics.

In the Rankings

The Oklahoma State football team is not ranked, but is receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll this week. The Cowboys are just one spot outside of the AP Top 25 and two spots outside of the top 25 in the coaches poll. Through the 2022 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 13 of the past 15 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 15 years. Although the first College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until November 1, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in seven of the past eight seasons entering 2023. Oklahoma is No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and No. 11 in the coaches poll.

The Series

Saturday’s game is part of the all-sports Phillips 66 Bedlam Series between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The Phillips 66 Bedlam Series is calculated by straight wins and losses in head-to-head competition. In sports where there is no head-to-head matchup, the Big 12 Championship final standings are used. Oklahoma State has won the overall Phillips 66 Bedlam Series in eight of the past 10 years, and in 2022-23 the series tied with record of 14-14-1. OSU leads the 2023-24 series, 3-0. A look at this year’s results to date:

Saturday's game marks the 118th football game between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, with the series dating to 1904. The 2023 season also marks the 114th consecutive year the teams have met. Oklahoma owns a 90-20-7 advantage in the all-time series and a 40-8-5 lead in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State from a Distance

The Oklahoma State football team is now in a five-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings. The Cowboys are coming off four straight wins against Big 12 opponents, defeating Kansas State, 29-21; No. 23 Kansas, 39-32; West Virginia, 48-34; and Cincinnati 45-13. The Cowboy defense produced 10 total turnovers in those four wins while the offense has only turned it over four times during that stretch. The breakout star of the team has been sophomore running back Ollie Gordon II, who has produced five consecutive 100-yard rushing games and now ranks No. 1 among all FBS players in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, 20-yard carries, 30-yard carries and 40-yard carries. He's also second in rushing yards per carry. He recorded 282 rushing yards in the win at West Virginia to rank as the most for any FBS player in any game this season and followed that up with 271 rushing yards against Cincinnati to join Heisman-winner Barry Sanders as the only two players in school history with back-to-back 250-yard rushing games. Prior to that, he had 284 yards from scrimmage against Kansas, making him the only FBS player in the past 10 seasons to produce three consecutive games with more than 250 scrimmage yards. Ollie Gordon II should be considered the favorite for the Doak Walker Award at this point, and if he keeps doing what he's done so far, then he should be seriously considered for more than just that. Quarterback Alan Bowman has also impressed since taking over as the full-time starting quarterback, averaging 269.00 passing yards per game and accounting for nine total touchdowns in the five games he has played as the full-time starter. On the defensive side, linebacker Nickolas Martin is making his case for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The Cowboy sophomore leads all Big 12 players and ranks No. 8 in the FBS in total tackles with 10.4 per game and is second in the conference and No. 11 in the FBS with 1.4 tackles for loss per game. He's joined by linebacker Collin Oliver and safety Kendal Daniels as the biggest defensive playmakers this year, as Daniels leads the Big 12 in fumbles recovered and Oliver leads the Big 12 in fumbles forced. Other notable Cowboys this season include placekicker Alex Hale, who ranks No. 2 in the FBS with 2.25 made field goals per game, and center Joe Michalski, who has been one of the main reasons the Cowboy offensive line has surged into the levels of success it has seen over the past month.

Rare Air: Seeking 100 Career Big 12 Wins

Mike Gundy needs one more conference win this season to join Bob Stoops and Bill Snyder as just the third coach in history to win 100 Big 12 games. He has already passed Mack Brown for fourth-place on the all-time list this year.             Here's the list of the coaches in the history of the conference who have reached at least 40 career wins in the league:

OSU's 9-3 Run Against AP Top 25 Teams

Oklahoma State has won nine of its past 12 games against AP-ranked teams. Here's a look at the run:

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...

• Mark Mike Gundy's 100th career Big 12 win, making him the third coach in history to reach the milestone. The only other two coaches to reach 100 Big 12 wins are Bob Stoops and Bill Snyder.

• Mark the Cowboys' 11th win over an AP Top 10 team since 2008.

• Give it wins in two straight and three of its past four games against AP Top 10 teams.

• Make it 10-3 in its past 13 and 19-8 in its past 27 games vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25.

• Improve it to 34-25 vs. AP ranked teams since the beginning of the 2011 season.

• Mark Mike Gundy's 40th career win vs. AP Top 25 opponents. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are the only other active coaches with more wins over AP Top 25 teams at their current schools.

• Improve Mike Gundy's record in November games to 39-30.

• Improve Mike Gundy's record in home games to 94-29.

• Improve its record against Oklahoma to 21-90-7 and its record vs. OU in Stillwater to 9-40-5.

• Give it wins against Oklahoma in two of the past three matchups.

• Give it wins in 19 of its past 21 and 22 of its past 25 games played at Boone Pickens Stadium.

• Improve Mike Gundy's record against Oklahoma to 4-15.

• Make it 28-10 in its past 38 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game

• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 100 yards in five straight games.

• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 270 yards in two straight games.

• OSU has forced 10 turnovers and only surrendered four turnovers in the past four games.

• OSU has held 33 of its past 38 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average entering the game.

• OSU has won 85 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS and longest since at least 1980. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, the streak begins at the same date and includes 92 games.

• The Cowboy defense has produced a shutout half in two games this season.

• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 37 of its past 52 games.

• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 43 of its past 46 games.

• OSU is 36-16 in its past 52 games decided by fewer than 10 points.

• OSU is 47-8 in its past 55 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.

• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 48-4 when not committing a turnover.

• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 78-8 when winning the turnover battle.

• OSU has won three of its past five overtime games.

• Over the past 45 games, OSU has held opponents to 208-for-692 (30.1%) on third down.