Why is Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State called Bedlam?

The Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State rivalry is known simply as Bedlam but where did the strange nickname for the rivalry game come from?

Bedlam is one of college football’s best rivalries, even if it’s one-sided. Whenever the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys meet for their annual in-state rivalry in football (or any sport), the animosity is evident between the teams and fan bases.

Sure, the Sooners have rarely lost over the last 20 years of the rivalry but that doesn’t take away the special nature of the meetings between the two teams.

However, Bedlam is undoubtedly a strange name for a rivalry game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, so where exactly did the nickname come from?

Bedlam origins: Why is OU-OSU called Bedlam?

Unfortunately, the short version is that we don’t really know.

The first mention of “The Bedlam Series” locally can be found in The Oklahoman back in 1943. However, the use of the term seemed common at that point and a first true reference to the rivalry in those terms is not known.

In fact, it’s been a question that many college football analysts, both locally and nationally, have searched for answers to — but to no avail. Put simply, we don’t know where Bedlam came from, only that it’s entrenched as the moniker for the OU-OSU rivalry.

No matter where it came from, though, it’s a phenomenal name. Unlike the many iterations of “The Game” or ever the “Bowl” rivalry games, Bedlam stands out as something unique, as it should.

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