Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2009 ) Oklahoma State 0, Oklahoma 27

Rarely has Bedlam been this big.

No. 9 Oklahoma State hosts No. 13 Oklahoma in their annual instate rivalry known as Bedlam that, this season, will decide the Big 12 South champion.

The Cowboys (10-1, 6-1 Big 12) can claim their first division title with a win over the Sooners.

Things get a little more complicated if Oklahoma (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) goes into Stillwater and knocks off the Cowboys for the eighth straight time. A Sooner win coupled with a Texas A&M win over Texas on Thursday would produce a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South standings. The tiebreaker would be the BCS standings. Currently, Oklahoma State is No. 9, the Sooners are No. 13 and A&M sits at No. 17. With a win, the Sooners would be expected to jump past Oklahoma State and stay in front of A&M, sending Oklahoma to the Big 12 Championship Game for a fourth time in the last five seasons.

But beating the Cowboys is by no means an easy task, especially for an Oklahoma team that has struggled mightily on the road this season. Oklahoma State boasts the nation’s most prolific offense — led by quarterback Brandon Weeden, running back Kendell Hunter and wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Weeden has thrown for 4,036 yards with 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Hunter is averaging 132 yards rushing and Blackmon leads the nation with 156 receiving yards per game.

It’s hard to imagine those three were a part of an offense that managed just 107 total yards in a 27-0 loss to the Sooners in Norman last season. It was the first time the Cowboys had been shut out since 2005 and squashed any chances they had of reaching their first BCS bowl game.

Oklahoma can do it again to the Cowboys on Saturday, but the Sooners will have put together a second straight strong performance on the road. The Sooners are coming of a 53-24 shellacking of Baylor last week in Waco, Texas. It was only Oklahoma’s second road win of the season and by far its most impressive performance away from home.

The Sooners played poorly in losses at Missouri and at Texas A&M earlier in the season and have not been a good road team the past two seasons under coach Bob Stoops. You couldn’t tell it in the win over Baylor, a game they led 41-7 at half.

Quarterback Landry Jones passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns, and DeMarco Murray amassed 182 yards of total offense with two touchdowns in the Sooners’ rout. Jones and Murray, along with wide receiver Ryan Broyles, are Oklahoma’s answer to Oklahoma State’s prolific trio.

This is the 105th meeting between the Sooners and Cowboys, with Oklahoma leading 81-16-7. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 0-4 against Stoops.