No. 11 Cowboys chase BCS in Bedlam rivalry

NORMAN, Okla. (AP)—This edition of the Bedlam rivalry was expected to be one for the ages.

That was way back in September, before Oklahoma’s season crumbled and Oklahoma State lost several of its best players.

So instead, the latest meeting between the Cowboys and Sooners will be settled by the few stars left standing. Oklahoma doesn’t have much left to play for, but Oklahoma State still has a big prize in reach—a BCS bid.

Following last year’s showdown that featured both teams being ranked in the top 11, the sequel figured to be even better—a game with Big 12 and national championship implications.

Oklahoma (6-5, 4-3) returned many of its stars from a team that reached the BCS championship game. Oklahoma State (9-2, 6-1) came into this season with the highest preseason ranking in school history.

Oklahoma , as it has been most of the season, will be without Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and star tight end Jermaine Gresham. Three starting offensive linemen are out, too, and middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds is expected to join the growing injured list for the Sooners in their most disappointing season under coach Bob Stoops.

The Cowboys won’t have ineligible All-American receiver Dez Bryant and they may be without quarterback Zac Robinson for a second straight game. Coach Mike Gundy has claimed Robinson will be able to play, but he made the same statement before Robinson sat out last week and the quarterback has been off limits to reporters all week.

Like their rival, the Cowboys have had injury issues and off-the-field issues all season long. But Oklahoma State finds itself in a position to play for a potential at-large bid to the Bowl Championship Series.

“We’ve been put through a lot of things this year, and we’ve had our ups and downs,” OSU linebacker Andre Sexton said. “I think it’s been a bad year for the Oklahoma teams as far as the injuries and adversities, but I think we’ve just handled it differently and maybe in a better way just because of the maturity and the senior class that we have and the leadership.”

The Cowboys have been eliminated from the Big 12 championship race but find themselves in the mix with teams such as Boise State and Iowa for what could be OSU’s first BCS bid. It’s only the third time in the history of the series that Oklahoma State is ranked and Oklahoma isn’t, but still the Sooners are the favorite. They carry a 29-game home winning streak and six-game winning streak in the rivalry.

“In this game, it seems like everything can go out the window as far as how things should go or how people perceive it, just because of the magnitude of the rivalry and just how big of a game it is,” Cowboys guard Noah Franklin said.

The Sooners have five regular-season losses for the first time in Stoops’ 11 seasons. A win would land them a slightly better bowl and the satisfaction of spoiling their rival’s postseason plans.

“This is Bedlam, man. It’s an in-state rivalry, and you always want to be able to say, `Our school’s better than yours,’ regardless of what our record is,” Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. “It’s just more of a pride thing, and I’m sure they’re feeling the same way and they’re coming here ready to play because they have a lot at stake.”

This year marks a role reversal from the usual Bedlam scenario. Since the creation of the BCS, it has always been Oklahoma that has been playing for a big-money bowl come rivalry time. OSU pulled off upsets in 2001 and 2002, with the first one eliminating the Sooners from national title contention.

“That’s been something that’s driven guys here in the past is just the opportunity to spoil your biggest rival’s season,” Franklin said. “I’m sure as well as them wanting to get back on track, I’m sure in the back of their head they’re like, `We can ruin this for them.”’

Oklahoma’s players reject that line of thinking, instead choosing to focus on their own goals to finish out another perfect season at home—they’re 5-0 at Owen Field and 1-5 elsewhere, although OSU will be the first ranked team to visit this year—and honor their seniors appropriately in their final home game.

“Obviously this season hasn’t gone as well as we wanted it to,” said Brian Lepak, who will make his first start at center for Oklahoma in place of the injured Ben Habern.

“At this point in the season, it’s about, `What are we going to do to get better? What are we going to do for ourselves?’ This weekend, it’s about let’s go out and let’s beat Oklahoma State. Let’s play to the best of our ability, and let’s go get it done. It’s not about them.”