Saturday Marks Fourth Bedlam Big 12 Title Game In Six Years

OU and Oklahoma State have been top dogs in the Big 12 since it went to 10 teams in 2011. OU is 42-11 in Big 12 games since 2011. Oklahoma State is 38-15. No other team has more than 35 wins. That’s pretty crazy. Even crazier is that this is not necessarily a new trend.

Not only do the Pokes and Sooners have the two best Big 12 records, they have also played the most games for the Big 12 title since the league went to a round robin format in 2011. Let’s take a look at each “Big 12 title game” by year.

2011: Bedlam in Stillwater

Probably the greatest game of the Mike Gundy era. If OU had won, both teams would have been tied with Kansas State at 7-2, but OU would have taken the conference crown because of wins over OSU and Kansas State.

2012: Texas at Kansas State

OU claims to be co-champs this year, but I’m only counting outright winners. The Wildcats beat the Sooners that year. They’re the champs. No matter how many banners Bob Stoops hangs. They beat Texas in the final game of the regular season at home.

2013: Bedlam in Stillwater, Texas at Baylor

Oklahoma State would have clinched the Big 12 title with a win over OU in Stillwater. Alas, Justin Gilbert did not catch it. Baylor beat Texas later that evening. Texas (!) would have won the conference with a win. Baylor finished 8-1. OU, OSU and Texas finished 7-2.

2014: Kansas State at Baylor

Baylor locked up the Big 12 title (with a fat asterisk from Ft. Worth) with a big win at home over Kansas State. TCU beat Iowa State 55-3 and moved out of the top four in the CFB Playoff rankings because of data points and conference champions (or something like that). I wonder if that will happen to Ohio State this year*

*LOL

2015: Bedlam in Stillwater

Another Bedlam for the Big 12 title. This one was improbable as TCU had to beat Baylor in a monsoon earlier in the week. But it happened, and OU finished 8-1 as OSU and TCU finished 7-2.

Add ’em Up

Here are all the games played by teams in which a win in the final week would have meant a Big 12 title since the league moved to 10 teams in 2011.

• OSU: 4
• OU: 3
• Baylor: 2
• Kansas State: 1
• Texas: 1

I’m including this year’s Bedlam game. It is just the third game since 2011 in which the winner would take the Big 12, but it is the fourth that could serve as at least a partial de facto title game (as OSU blew its shot in 2013 with the best defense in school history). That’s an impressive run for such a lopsided rivalry. And one that’s about to head elsewhere on the schedule.