I will be blunt about it, I am not the biggest Mike Gundy fan. He can’t keep an offensive coordinator in Stillwater … and when he does, he stinks. We already know Gundy thought Alex Cate was better than Brandon Weeden when Zac Robinson got hurt near the end of the 2009 season. Now, after watching the Baylor game, it can be argued that Gundy should have pulled the redshirt off of Mason Rudolph back in September, and this season wouldn’t have turned out as bad as it did. I still say we would have lost our fair share of games, but we would have been more competitive in doing so. My biggest beef with Gundy though: 1-8. That is his record against Bedlam rival OU.
As an Oklahoma State alum, Gundy should understand the importance of this game. He knows it doesn’t matter if you are 0-11, because as long as you win Bedlam to go 1-11, it was a somewhat satisfying season.
There’s no doubt that former head coach Les Miles left us high and dry. But in his defense, he beat that ‘school down south’ twice in four years. Miles renewed the Bedlam rivalry. Granted, Gundy has kept games close, but has rarely been able to get over the hump.
Everyone proclaims that the Big 12 school in Norman has “Sooner magic” when they are able to pull it out at the end. It’s not as much Sooner magic as the “Poke choke”. Here’s a question for you: If Nick Saban choked eight times in nine games against Auburn would he still be coaching the Tide? How about if Urban Meyer was only able to win one game against Michigan in nearly a decade at Ohio State? At elite programs they don’t put up with losing to their rivals eight times in nine years, no matter the excuses.
I understand Oklahoma State may never be an elite program in college football. But, if we want to be in the discussion for a college football playoff every now and again, beating “big brother” would greatly help the cause. Until Gundy and the Cowboys get past the realization that there is no “Sooner magic,” we will continue to play “little brother” to our “friends” from Norman. As for this year’s Bedlam showdown, I know this might sound surprising, but I expect it to be close as usual. The Cowboys will do enough to slow down the crimson and cream running game. Unfortunately, with or without freshman QB Mason Rudolph, I think the Cowboys make a few mistakes offensively, which in the end, will cost them the game. Home team: 34 Cowboys: 24
