2024-25 Schedule News

[WTSooner]

Rothstein reporting that Steve Lutz told him that Bedlam will likely be played in mid-December in OKC.

Glad it's being played.

Football is tougher to make happen, but they should absolutely be able to play annually in the other sports. Would still like to see them rotate basketball between Tulsa and OKC. Maybe have the men and women play on the same day at the same location. Make it a little event.

 

[BCSooners]

Rothstein reporting that Steve Lutz told him that Bedlam will likely be played in mid-December in OKC.

Good. I think this will be a yearly game. It will take a bit longer but football will eventually.

 

[WTSooner]

Good. I think this will be a yearly game. It will take a bit longer but football will eventually.

I'm not so sure about that.

osu's OOC schedule is pretty booked (and pretty stout) for about the next decade. By then, OU will likely be playing three OOC games (ie, a 9 game SEC schedule).

I'm just not sure I want OU wasting one of those three OOC games, each year, on osu. IMO, that limits the quality of opposition you can look for in the other OOC games. It might just not make sense, given the landscape of college football and OU's already difficult SEC schedule. I'd rather us play teams like tOSU, Michigan, Clemson, FSU, ND, maybe a PSU, schools like that. And you certainly can't schedule games like that, have osu as another OOC game, and add a 9 game SEC schedule on top of that. I think that's likely not a smart way to schedule.

IMO.

 

[NickZepp]

I'm not so sure about that.

osu's OOC schedule is pretty booked (and pretty stout) for about the next decade. By then, OU will likely be playing three OOC games (ie, a 9 game SEC schedule).

I'm just not sure I want OU wasting one of those three OOC games, each year, on osu. IMO, that limits the quality of opposition you can look for in the other OOC games. It might just not make sense, given the landscape of college football and OU's already difficult SEC schedule. I'd rather us play teams like tOSU, Michigan, Clemson, FSU, ND, maybe a PSU, schools like that. And you certainly can't schedule games like that, have osu as another OOC game, and add a 9 game SEC schedule on top of that. I think that's likely not a smart way to schedule.

IMO.

If both schools wanted to they could move OOC games around to make it happen. OU has Michigan, Nebraska, and Clemson although Clemson could be an SEC team by that time. But pretty sure if both wanted to they could find the money to move games and play it every year. Not sure both want to right now.

 

[WTSooner]

If both schools wanted to they could move OOC games around to make it happen. OU has Michigan, Nebraska, and Clemson although Clemson could be an SEC team by that time. But pretty sure if both wanted to they could find the money to move games and play it every year. Not sure both want to right now.

1. Why would either want to move games against elite teams, all of which probably have healthy cancellation clauses?
2. If they move OTHER games on their OOC schedule, why would either OU or osu want to play THAT tough of an OOC schedule?

Other than being good for the fans, there just really isn't a good reason for either team to make it happen right now. I don't want osu being OU's toughest OOC game every year, but I also don't want to play Michigan AND osu OOC. So there is the dilemma. It's really the same for osu. No reason for them to put together a stupid hard OOC schedule either. Neither team should be asking out of some of the elite series they both have. That shouldn't happen.

 

[WichitaSooner]

On the football front, I think OOC scheduling is pretty ridiculous -- games are set so far in advance, and who knows whether a future opponent will be any good. Our games against Nebraska figured to be great back when they were announced, and then Nebraska turned into one of the worst P5 teams in the country. Lots of games do end up getting canceled for various reasons, including conference realignment.

I think locking in Bedlam as an annual game would be tough because it wouldn't leave you much flexibility with your other two OOC games. But I guess the question is whether you feel like playing that game is valuable enough for the program/university/state to do it, the way some in-state schools do. If I felt more confident in the direction of the program, I would feel more comfortable with the idea. But if we are going to lose three or four conference games a year, we really can't afford any noncon losses.

 

[skyvue]

Bedlam does a lot more for oswho than OU. Without OU, they have no hook for national television (or for their fans' passion). Hatred of OU is their very reason for being. They have no other rival. No other school hates them; they're not worth the trouble. Without Bedlam, in the national picture, they are just another middling school that few people know anything about. OU, via Bedlam, has been propping them up for decades. End Bedlam and let them try to build something that isn't dependent on OU, if they can't (I don't think they can).

 

[BoulderSooner]

games against Nebraska figured to be great back when they were announced,

games against nebraska are always great ..


as for osu ... play them don't play them I don't much care either way .... but i for sure would not want to play them if it resulted in less big game vs big 10 or acc teams

 

[WichitaSooner]

games against nebraska are always great ..


as for osu ... play them don't play them I don't much care either way .... but i for sure would not want to play them if it resulted in less big game vs big 10 or acc teams

You clearly are smart enough to know what I mean. Great for nostalgia doesn’t mean it’s a quality win or helps your football team get better. Our worst team in two decades won by approximately 100 in Lincoln two years ago, and that proved utterly meaningless. My bigger point is that when you schedule games a decade in advance, you have no clue if the opponent will be any good.

 

[WTSooner]

Bedlam does a lot more for oswho than OU. Without OU, they have no hook for national television (or for their fans' passion). Hatred of OU is their very reason for being. They have no other rival. No other school hates them; they're not worth the trouble. Without Bedlam, in the national picture, they are just another middling school that few people know anything about. OU, via Bedlam, has been propping them up for decades. End Bedlam and let them try to build something that isn't dependent on OU, if they can't (I don't think they can).

I don't like osu, but I think this is a bit harsh.

They have upcoming series against Arkansas (I wish OU were playing them every year in place of osu), Oregon, Nebraska, and Bama. They aren't having any problems attracting quality OOC games.

 

[WTSooner]

as for osu ... play them don't play them I don't much care either way .... but i for sure would not want to play them if it resulted in less big game vs big 10 or acc teams

Exactly. And that is the problem. OU has to manage the difficulty of our OOC schedule with a significantly better SEC slate.

 

[WTSooner]

Not a football board, I know, but the SEC really needs to find a way to 20 teams.

Do that and split teams into four pods of five. Each season you play the other four teams in your pod, plus all five teams from another, rotating pod, for a total of nine conference games.

You rotate pods every year and whatever two pods are playing each other that year, make up a division (important for CCG). Example, OU is in Pod A. We play all of the teams in Pod A and Pod B in 2026. Pods C and D also play each other. Then the best team from the Pod A/B division and the best team from the Pod C/D division play each other in the CCG.

The following year Pod A (OU's pod) plays Pod C, leaving Pods B and D to form a division.

I really hate unbalanced scheduling with no divisions. Not sure how you can crown a champion that way. I saw a preseason SEC football ranking. It had OU 8th. We are playing teams 2-7. So 6 games against top 8 teams. Texas plays two games against the top 8 teams. That is incredibly lopsided. And while I don't like using the schedule as an excuse for end of season results, I don't see how that scheduling-difference can do anything but create an uneven record.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Not a football board, I know, but the SEC really needs to find a way to 20 teams.

Do that and split teams into four pods of five. Each season you play the other four teams in your pod, plus all five teams from another, rotating pod, for a total of nine conference games.

You rotate pods every year and whatever two pods are playing each other that year, make up a division (important for CCG). Example, OU is in Pod A. We play all of the teams in Pod A and Pod B in 2026. Pods C and D also play each other. Then the best team from the Pod A/B division and the best team from the Pod C/D division play each other in the CCG.

The following year Pod A (OU's pod) plays Pod C, leaving Pods B and D to form a division.

I really hate unbalanced scheduling with no divisions. Not sure how you can crown a champion that way. I saw a preseason SEC football ranking. It had OU 8th. We are playing teams 2-7. So 6 games against top 8 teams. Texas plays two games against the top 8 teams. That is incredibly lopsided. And while I don't like using the schedule as an excuse for end of season results, I don't see how that scheduling-difference can do anything but create an uneven record.

divisions are never coming back

 

[SoonerBounce13]

You clearly are smart enough to know what I mean.

lol

 

[Eielson]

Good. I think this will be a yearly game. It will take a bit longer but football will eventually.

I think we will play a couple times a decade in football. Annually in almost every other sport. With our SEC schedule, I don't think we have more than 1 OOC game against a top 25 program. I would not want an annual OSU game if it kept us from getting games against programs like Nebraska, Michigan, Notre Dame, etc. I can't imagine playing OSU more than every other year and even that is pushing it.

 

[Eielson]

On the football front, I think OOC scheduling is pretty ridiculous -- games are set so far in advance, and who knows whether a future opponent will be any good. Our games against Nebraska figured to be great back when they were announced, and then Nebraska turned into one of the worst P5 teams in the country. Lots of games do end up getting canceled for various reasons, including conference realignment.

I think locking in Bedlam as an annual game would be tough because it wouldn't leave you much flexibility with your other two OOC games. But I guess the question is whether you feel like playing that game is valuable enough for the program/university/state to do it, the way some in-state schools do. If I felt more confident in the direction of the program, I would feel more comfortable with the idea. But if we are going to lose three or four conference games a year, we really can't afford any noncon losses.

Nebraska was the worst case scenario and it was still a fun two games. That's the value of scheduling games against historic programs like ND, Michigan, etc. Especially now that there is a 12-team playoff, so even if you get clobbered by the #1 team in the nation week 2, it still doesn't kill your chances of winning a title.

I've suggested this before, and it tends to get laughed at, but I'd love for our spring game to be a scrimmage against OSU. This type of thing happens all the time in HS, and there would be a lot of eyes. We would obviously run a vanilla offense, but it would be the highlight of that 6 month stretch.

 

[skyvue]

I don't like osu, but I think this is a bit harsh.

They have upcoming series against Arkansas (I wish OU were playing them every year in place of osu), Oregon, Nebraska, and Bama. They aren't having any problems attracting quality OOC games.

I wasn't talking about their scheduling--I'm talking about their national profile and the importance of Bedlam to their fans. Bedlam is their only guaranteed sellout in football (and they jack up the prices accordingly). Nationally, no one would give them a second thought if it weren't for Bedlam. OU could turn its back on Bedlam and it wouldn't affect our athletic programs in the slightest. The same is not true for oswho.

 

[WTSooner]

I wasn't talking about their scheduling--I'm talking about their national profile and the importance of Bedlam to their fans. Bedlam is their only guaranteed sellout in football (and they jack up the prices accordingly). Nationally, no one would give them a second thought if it weren't for Bedlam. OU could turn its back on Bedlam and it wouldn't affect our athletic programs in the slightest. The same is not true for oswho.

Not playing us in football isn't going to change anything for them.

You don't think they'll sell out for Bama? Oregon? There are probably some Big 12 games that will sell out if osu is in the hunt for a conference title with big bad OU and texas out of the way. It's not as if everything in the Big 12 stayed the same, but now osu doesn't have OU to play. That entire conference turned over. The CFP expanded. osu can do a lot of different things including scheduling more attractive OOC games to gets tickets sold now. They'll be fine. And OU will certainly be fine as well, nobody is questioning that.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Not playing us in football isn't going to change anything for them.

very much disagree .. It is what has driven their season ticket sales for about a decade now ..

 

[WTSooner]

very much disagree .. It is what has driven their season ticket sales for about a decade now ..

And I literally explained what they are doing and can do to compensate for that.

They are bringing in Arkansas.
They are bringing in other big name opponents.
Colorado will have the allure of Deion, as long as he is there.
And maybe most importantly, they have a chance to be at the top of the Big 12 standings every year with OU/texas gone.

You think their stadium is going to be empty? They aren't going to sell any tickets? Any drop they see in ticket sales not having OU on the home schedule every other year is going to be so insignificant, it wouldn't be worth mentioning. Not to mention they'll be getting more from the conference in general.

Non-issue.