Saturday’s Bedlam game in Norman is a must win for No. 1 Oklahoma and a great opportunity for No. 14 Oklahoma State.

OU must win their final three games to have a shot at one of the two spots in the Big 12 Championship. If OSU can defeat OU, the Cowboys can win the regular season title by winning the rest of their games and guarantee a spot in the Championship Game.

The Bedlam kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. on ABC TV in Norman. Both OU and OSU had a week off to prepare for Bedlam.

Before the bye week, OU clobbered winless Kansas, 62-9. OSU had a hardfought 20-18 win over Kansas State.

The Cowboy defense did a good job containing Wildcat running back Deuce Vaughn.

“We wish he could have 200 yards each game,” said KSU coach Chris Klieman. “We probably have to do a better job of finding more creative ways to get him the football. We had some things designed for him, and I thought Oklahoma State did a really good job of taking those things away.”

Most Big 12 teams seem to be playing better defense this season.

“It goes in cycles,” said OSU coach Mike Gundy. “The defenses have rallied and come up with answers to what the offenses are doing. The majority of quarterbacks in this league are young with the exception of Texas.”

OSU had at least six players who didn’t practice prior to the KSU win but some did see a bit of action in that game.

“People look at college football differently than I do as a coach,” Gundy said. “It’s not worth risking a young man’s career or future health or a younger player that’s not ready to play to try to find a way to win a game. We have enough confidence in our culture, our organization, our structure and what we are trying to accomplish here.”

This year has been unpredictable, due in part to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s been interesting this year,” Gundy said. “Teams that make the mistakes are the ones that are losing. More so than ever. It’s not just teams that dominate and win a game.”

In years past, one team (usually Oklahoma) was dominant but this year half the league has been in position to play for the championship and the Sooners stumbled early.

“The parity in this league is through the roof,” Gundy said. “When you have a lot of parity in this league and two teams who are playing each other are very similar, it comes down to special teams and turnovers most of the time and that’s what happened to us this year. And if you just look around, it’s happening to most of the other teams.”

Kansas was impressed with an improving OU team.

“They are a pretty good football team,” Kansas coach Les Miles said of the Sooners. “They have offense, defense and special teams. The things they wanted to do they did very well. They are a good football team.”

Does OU play like an elite team?

“They sure did with us,” Miles said. “I think they are doing the right thing with the quarterback and the quarterback can make the deep throw.”

Another marked improvement for Oklahoma since the early part of the year is their defense.

“I think there’s some good defenses in this league,” said OU coach Lincoln Riley said. “I think a couple of years in a row that we’ve had some strong defensive teams.”

Riley said is even more impressive because so many teams had have young, talented quarterbacks.

“There’s a lot of good defensive players,” Riley said. “There’s some exciting young talent across the league defensively.”

Why has OU improved so dramatically in the last four games?

“I think we’re becoming a much smarter football team,” Riley said. “We’ve seen a lot of smart plays on tape.

“We’ve played some clean and quality ball. I think it’s across the board. We are finishing more plays and making fewer mistakes right now. We’ve been giving ourselves the chance to separate from people.”

Last year, OU won 34-16 in Stillwater. OU running back Kennedy Brooks, who has opted to not play this season due to the coronavirus, gained 160 yards and a touchdown in that win.

Last year, former OU quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was drafted and signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, threw a touchdown pass, caught a touchdown pass and rushed for a touchdown. The only other player in OU history to do that was Tommy McDonald against Colorado in 1956. Hurts caught a touchdown pass from former OU receiver Nick Basquine.

In2019, the  Sooner defense held the OSU offense to 335 yards. The Cowboys came into that game averaging 475 yards per game in total offense. OSU running back Chuba Hubbard got 103 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.3 yards per carry) in that game. Before the game, Hubbard was leading the nation with an average of 166.5 rushing yards per game (6.4-yard per carry average). Two turnovers for OSU proved costly.

In the last 10 Bedlam games, OU had won eight and OSU two. The Sooners have averaged 41.6 points while the Cowboys have averaged 35.3 points in those games.

Last 10 Years’ Results

2019 – OU 34, OSU 16

2018 – OU 48, OSU 47

2017 – OU 62, OSU 52

2016 – OU 38, OSU 20

2015 – OU 58, OSU 23

2014 – OSU 38, OU 35 (OT)

2013 – OU 33, OSU 24

2012 – OU 51, OSU 48 (OT)

2011 – OSU 44, OU 10

2010 – OU 47, OSU 41

OU leads the series, 80-19-7.

Big 12 Playoff Scenarios

If OSU wins their final games, they make the championship.

If OU beats OSU and wins their final games, they would make the championship should either Iowa State or Kansas State have more than two losses. Kansas State currently has two Big 12 losses and Iowa State has one.

A key game is between Iowa State and Kansas State. If KSU loses, they are out.

If Texas beats Iowa State and there is a four-way tie among Texas, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, OU and Texas will play in the championship because of head-to-head games.

A three way tie among OSU, OU and Texas would also put OU and Texas in the title game because the Sooners would have beaten OSU and Texas and OSU would have lost to Texas and OSU.