Bedlam breakdown: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State face 2025 crossroads amid historic downturns

The state of Oklahoma is still riding a wave of euphoria after the Oklahoma City Thunder captured the state’s first major professional sports championship. The NBA title sparked an unprecedented surge of pride and celebration, uniting fans from the panhandle to Green Country in a statewide moment of joy.

But as the confetti settles, attention shifts to college football — where the state’s two flagship programs, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, find themselves at a crossroads following historically poor 2024 seasons. It’s the first time both finished with losing records in the same season since 1998.

The Bedlam rivalry may be dormant, but the heat is rising in both Norman and Stillwater.

Sooners face pressure under new leadership and old problems

Oklahoma is coming off another disappointing 6–7 campaign, marking its second losing season in three years under coach Brent Venables — and their only sub-.500 finishes dating back to the start of the Bob Stoops era in 1999.

To add to the instability, longtime athletic director Joe Castiglione announced he will retire from full-time duties in the coming school year. His exit signals the end of an era — and ushers in one of the most pivotal seasons in program history, with Oklahoma still trying to find its footing in the SEC.

Over three years with Venables at the helm, the Sooners are just 22-17 overall and a pedestrian 12-14 in conference play. Their SEC debut in 2024 yielded only two league wins — tying for their lowest conference win total in nearly nine decades.

Offensively, it was a disaster. Oklahoma ranked 97th nationally in scoring (24.0 ppg.), 124th in yards per play (4.81) and 114th in success rate (38.8%). Venables fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell midseason, and highly touted quarterback Jackson Arnold was benched after just four games. He was later reinstated as the starter, but ultimately transferred to Auburn at the end of the season.

The Sooners retooled by hiring offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, a rising assistant from Washington State, and bringing in John Mateer — a transfer quarterback who followed Arbuckle from Pullman to Norman. Early comparisons to Baker Mayfield may be premature, but Mateer’s familiarity with the system gives him a head start in a quarterback room that desperately needs a spark.

If Venables can’t engineer a turnaround in 2025, the Sooners’ next athletic director may have no choice but to make the biggest call of all — hiring a new football coach.

Gundy hits reset after Cowboys’ collapse

In Stillwater, Mike Gundy enters his 21st season as Oklahoma State’s coach under an uncharacteristic cloud of doubt. The Cowboys went 3-9 in 2024, failed to win a single Big 12 game and posted their worst winning percentage since 1991. The collapse snapped a run of 18 consecutive bowl appearances and led to serious discussions about Gundy’s job status last winter.

Rather than part ways, Oklahoma State restructured Gundy’s contract — but not without reported ultimatums, including a pay cut or dismissal for cause. In response, Gundy made the most significant staff changes of his tenure, firing both coordinators after a humiliating 52-0 loss to Colorado in the season finale.

The defense was historically bad, finishing 126th in scoring defense (35.6 ppg.), 129th in yards allowed per play (6.81) and 103rd in success rate (55.6%). The offense wasn’t much better, cycling through three quarterbacks with limited success. Entering 2025, there is still no clear-cut starter and almost no meaningful experience in the quarterback room with Zane Flores and TCU transfer Hauss Hejney still battling.

Beyond the staff overhaul, Oklahoma State took an aggressive leap in the transfer portal, adding 41 newcomers — tied for the third-most among Power Four programs. Only four starters return from last year’s team, and the Cowboys’ last three high school recruiting classes ranked 10th or worse in the Big 12 and outside the top 50 nationally.

It’s a dramatic reset and a high-risk, high-reward strategy for a program trying to keep pace in a rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive Big 12.

Sooners or Pokes: Who’s more likely to bounce back in 2025?

Oddsmakers aren’t optimistic. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Oklahoma’s projected win total at 6.5, while Oklahoma State’s sits at 5.5 — a clear sign that expectations remain modest for both programs after dismal seasons.

So who’s best positioned to rebound?

On paper, the edge goes to Oklahoma. The Sooners return 12 starters (six on each side of the ball), and despite recent struggles, their overall talent level still outpaces most of the Big 12 and some of the SEC’s middle class. The challenge? Surviving the conference gauntlet.

OKLAHOMA 2025 SCHEDULE

Oklahoma could realistically be 3-2 heading into the Red River Rivalry against Texas in Week 7. The more likely scenario? A one-loss start if they manage to split early tilts against Michigan and Auburn. That Auburn game will carry extra spice, with Arnold returning to Norman looking to prove Oklahoma gave up on him too soon.

The Sooners draw just three SEC teams with worse title odds than themselves: Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee. All three matchups are winnable but could just as easily go the other way.

For Oklahoma State, the bar is even lower. But that might be a good thing.

The Pokes currently have the worst Big 12 title odds (+5500) on FanDuel, tied with UCF. Yikes. Gundy has built a career on exceeding expectations when no one sees it coming. The Cowboys were picked seventh in the 2023 Big 12 preseason poll and made the title game. They were picked fourth in 2021 and came within inches (literally) of winning the conference and punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff.

No official Big 12 preseason poll was be released for 2025, but 247Sports compiled a composite projection based on feedback from Big 12 team site reporters. Oklahoma State landed 13th.

In a league where preseason rankings often mean little, that might be exactly what Gundy needs. Just last year, Arizona State was picked to finish last and ended up winning the conference and reaching the College Football Playoff. Stranger things have happened.

OKLAHOMA STATE 2025 SCHEDULE

Outside of the early trip to Eugene, the schedule is manageable. The Cowboys host Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State — three teams likely in the Big 12’s upper tier. Road games at Arizona, Kansas, Texas Tech and UCF could define the season. Win a couple of those, and Oklahoma State has a shot to surprise. Lose all of them, and the Cowboys could again be staring up from the cellar.

It’s almost poetic — or maybe just ironic — that in the first year without Bedlam, both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State unraveled. The rivalry went cold, and so did both programs. Call it a messy breakup, and neither side has figured out how to move on.

Now, pressure is mounting on both to regroup, as Gundy and Venables enter 2025 with the two hottest coaching seats in the Power Four, according to a CBS Sports panel of insiders and experts. Another year like the last, and it won’t just be the rivalry that’s dormant — it might be the end of an era on both sidelines.