Thanksgiving weekend football will once again have a local flavor this coming season. The Big 12 Conference announced Monday the annual Bedlam game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will be played Nov. 24 at Owen Field.
The game had been slated for Oct. 27, but was shifted for television coverage reasons.
The 2007 season marks the third consecutive and seventh time in the last nine years the game has been played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
In the recently announced cycle of Big 12 football schedules for the 2008-15 seasons, this contest will be the regular-season finale for both programs.
OU coach Bob Stoops has been a proponent of having an open week Thanksgiving weekend. The belief was it would give his team extra time to prepare if they were the south representative in the Big 12 championship game.
But after playing for the conference title five times in the last seven seasons, his stance has changed.
“I’ve looked over our history and have adjusted my thinking a little bit,” he said. “We’ve played in five of those games during our eight years here and the only one we didn’t win had an open week before we went to play. Of the four we’ve won three went directly from our last regular season game to the championship game. If that’s what works best for us, I’m all for it.”
Both OU and OSU will have an open date Oct. 27.
To Stoops, getting an open date was the best part of the deal. When the schedule was first announced, the Sooners didn’t have one.
“It’s important to get a bye week somewhere during the regular season,” he said. “Before we made this change, we didn’t have a bye for this year so this one may come at a pretty good time for us.”
OU’s week off will come after playing at Iowa State Oct. 20 and prior to facing Texas A&M; Nov. 3 at Owen Field.
The kickoff time for Bedlam hasn’t been announced, nor have any start times been set for any games this coming season.
But the shift to Thanksgiving weekend guarantees the game will be televised by either ABC or Fox Sports Net.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Bedlam finds familiar date
• Big 12 shifts OSU game to Thanksgiving weekend
- OU Sports
-
-
OU reeling from stunning loss to Texas Tech
As Oklahoma’s players headed toward the exit at United Spirit Arena on Saturday night, most had dazed looks on their faces. The 65-47 loss to Texas Tech was something they didn’t see coming....
-
Husky challenge
No time might seem like a good time to face Connecticut. The Huskies are always terrific and this season will enter Lloyd Noble Center likely ranked No. 2 following Notre Dame’s Sunday loss to West Virginia....
-
Sooners put finishing touches on perfect opener
Oklahoma capped off a perfect opening weekend of softball on Sunday with an 11-1 victory over Kent State. The Sooners were led by another strong outing from pitcher Keilani Rickets and an offensive explosion by Allee Allen....
-
Illinois halts OU’s upset
ITHACA, N.Y. — Oklahoma was not upset at the National Duals on Sunday. It did, however, leave disappointed....
-
Sooners fall flat against Raiders
LUBBOCK, Texas — All that progress Oklahoma believes it has been making didn’t make the trip to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Sooners moonwalked their way to a 65-47 loss at United Spirit Arena that easily qualified as the season’s worst ...
-
Sooners narrowly avoid handing Tigers their first win in Big 12 play
Morgan Hook hit the free throws and Kaylon Williams blocked the shot, grabbed the rebound, got fouled and made one of two from the stripe to put the game away....
-
Winning is only option
Every locker room in college basketball has the same topic floating around. It’s February. All are thinking about March Madness. Of course, some are thinking about their immediate future. Others are simply dreaming....
-
Sooners will test their mettle against country’s best at National Duals
Dual State is today....
-
Mizzou back on deck after another blowout loss to Baylor
Not again? Yes, again. For the second time this season, the Oklahoma women will have to put aside a disheartening and embarrassing loss to Baylor and get on with the rest of their season....
-
Sooners cruise past competition at Perfect 10
OKLAHOMA CITY — Compared to the rest of its schedule, Oklahoma was supposed to have a relatively easy night. Both Iowa State and Southeast Missouri are in the midst of down seasons. With little chance of losing, the fifth-ranked Sooners ...
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
OU reeling from stunning loss to Texas Tech
