This may be the last time these two in-state teams play for awhile

UCLA is not playing an in-state school this week but like them and some of their in-state rivals, this may be the last season the Bruins play historical in-state rivals for a while.

UCLA along with UCS is moving to the Big Ten for the 2024 football season. As we are now in November, the vast majority of in-state rival games take place. After conference realignment essentially ended the Pac-12 conference, traditional in-state conference rivalries will more than likely not be played for many years.

UCLA will no longer play Cal and Stanford moving forward unless they play one another in a bowl game or the schools decide to schedule one another in non-conference play which is unlikely. The Bruins are not the only school that due to conference realignment is no longer playing historical in-state rivals.

This weekend we will see another historical rivalry that more than likely will not be played due to conference realignment. The game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State more than likely will be the last game between these two in-state and in-conference rivals.

Oklahoma leaves the Big 12 to join the SEC in July of 2024 and the two big football programs from the state of Oklahoma have no plans of scheduling a non-conference game between one another in football for the 2024 season and beyond. The rivalry between these two schools has been for the most part one-sided with Oklahoma winning a majority of the games since 2003 but this in-state rivalry has seen in the past decade two amazing and entertaining overtime games and five games in this rivalry have been decided by single digits.

This season has been a bit unexpected for both programs starting with the Cowboys who lost a game at home earlier in the season to South Alabama 33-7. Oklahoma State has had a rollercoaster of a season losing two of their first four games and then winning four in a row, and now they are heading into this game with a 6-2 record and ranked No. 22 in the country.

Oklahoma on the other hand won their first seven games and was ranked No. 6 in the nation before losing at Kansas by a final score of 33-38. The Sooners are undefeated at home but have only won two true road games this season, having a 7-1 record entering their contest with the Cowboys

This game will be at Oklahoma State and the Cowboys have played relatively well on their home field. Oklahoma will have their starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel ready to go against the Cowboys but will he be able to bounce back from not having a productive and efficient game against Kansas and play well against Oklahoma State?

The Cowboys on the other hand have starting quarterback Alan Bowman who played at Texas Tech and Michigan before transferring to Oklahoma State and has experience being a 6th year senior but this will be his first game playing in this rivalry.

This game should be close and now let’s take a look at this rivalry.

The last 15 games of this rivalry: The Sooners have won twelve times during the past 15 games these two in-state rivals had played against each other.

The last 10 games of this rivalry: Oklahoma has won eight times during the past 10 games that these two schools have played one another.

The last 5 games of this rivalry: The Sooners have won four out of the last five games against the Cowboys.

Distance between schools: 84 miles

Rivalry Name/Trophy: Bedlam Series and the Bell of Old Central trophy

Interesting Fact: The two in-state Oklahoma schools have played every season for 116 consecutive years except for two seasons in the early 1900s.

The best game between these two schools over the past 10 years: The 2018 game in which Oklahoma State went for a two-point conversion for the win but was stopped by the Sooner defense and lost by one point with the final score being 48-47.

Current Win Streak: Oklahoma has won the last game between these two schools, having a one-game winning streak in this rivalry.

Last meeting between both schools: The Sooners defeated the Cowboys at home by a final score of 28-13.

Prediction: Oklahoma 28 Oklahoma State 24