Oklahoma fans livid after refs screw Sooners on missed PI call on final drive

The Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys waged battle in the Bedlam rivalry game on Saturday. With conference changes on the horizon, this was the last time these bitter foes will play each other for a while. It's only natural for it to end with a massive upset.

Oklahoma entered the game ranked No. 10 in the college football playoff rankings. The Cowboys were unranked. State won the game 27-24 behind impressive defense and a dominant 137-yard, two-score performance from RB Ollie Gordon.

That said, the Sooners were within striking distance late in the game. Oklahoma, on third-and-12, appeared to have Drake Stoops open in the end zone... until a blatant pass interference went uncalled. Stoops was essentially tackled before the ball arrived, forcing the Sooners — trailing 27-21 — to settle for a field goal.

That was all she wrote.

Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State on terrible pass interference no-call

It's always a bummer when an exciting game ends marred in controversy. OSU earned this victory, but Oklahoma clearly deserved a first down and another attempt at the end zone late. Stoops was on fire the entire night — 12 receptions, 134 yards, 1 TD — so it should come as little surprise that the defense felt the need for a desperate jersey grab. For it to go uncalled, however, is completely egregious.

The Sooners have now lost two straight since narrow victories over Texas and UCF. Last week, it was the Kansas Jayhawks with a major upset. Now OSU delivers the nail in the coffin. Texas (5-1), Oklahoma State (5-1), and Iowa State (4-1) all have better conference records than the Sooners, whose postseason hopes were riding on a Big 12 championship.

Now, Oklahoma will turn its sights toward next season and a completely new conference. The Sooners are slated to join the SEC next July, so the competition will only get stiffer as the Sooners look to deliver a championship to Norman.

The Sooners' remaining schedule is fairly soft — West Virginia on Nov. 11, BYU on Nov. 18, and TCU on Nov. 24 — so Oklahoma should, in theory, have ample opportunity to finish the season on a high note. Still, it's difficult to overstate the disappointment of this loss. Brent Venables appeared on the verge of a breakthrough after the Texas win, only for his team to suffer two inexcusable losses in the stretch run.

Now, should OU have lost this game? Did the Cowboys escape into the night with a stolen victory? Maybe. But, if you're the Sooners, it's best not to give the refs a chance to determine the outcome. If Oklahoma played up to its potential, the Cowboys wouldn't have been in position to get lucky.