The mayors of Norman and Stillwater have co-authored legislation to bring back Bedlam football. It would need to pass the state legislature before it would become a law, but it's a significant signal that the two cities miss the in-state rivalry game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
City of Norman Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman announced the co-sponsored legislation with Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce on Tuesday night.
"The mayor of Stillwater and I got together and co-authored a piece of legislation for economic development purposes under state law to require OU and OSU to play a football game every season, home-and-home. It passed the body unanimously with no debate, and so it will go to the legislature for consideration."
Holman noted that playing UTEP and New Mexico in their nonconference schedule would not have the same economic impact as Oklahoma State coming to Norman every other year or Oklahoma going to Stillwater.
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione engaged with Oklahoma State administration in the fall in an attempt to find space for Bedlam on the schedule in the future. But with the Cowboys' nonconference slate filled with three games each year through 2029, the earliest Oklahoma State could welcome Bedlam back onto the schedule would be in 2030.
Oklahoma State will play Oregon, Arkansas, and Alabama twice over the next four years. The Cowboys also play an annual game against Tulsa through 2031. Those games make it unlikely that leaders in Stillwater would want to buy out their games against Murray State, Western Illinois, Southeastern Louisiana, and Lindenwood to add another Power Four matchup to the schedule.
Unlike his predecessor, new Oklahoma State head coach Chad Morris indicated that he was in favor of Bedlam returning to the schedule. "I'd love to get on the phone with anybody that we know that could help us bring that game back. If they're asking if Coach Morris welcomes that game, I'd welcome it with open arms," Morris said when he was hired by Oklahoma State.
Even if this legislation doesn't go anywhere, it's another sign that there remains significant interest in Bedlam returning to the schedule as an annual nonconference game. It's a game that means something to the state of Oklahoma and as the mayors of Norman and Stillwater point out, it means something financially to the local economies as well.
And as we've learned with college football over the last 40 years, if it has an economic impact, it will drive decision-making.
Oklahoma leads the series, 90-21-7. The Pokes won two of the last three before things ended, including the most recent meeting in 2023, 27-24.
Norman Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman and the Stillwater mayor co-authored legislation that, if it passes the state legislature, would ensure a yearly Bedlam football game.#Soonerspic.twitter.com/QWEk0GN8re
— OU Daily (@OUDaily) February 11, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Norman, Stillwater mayors author legislation to bring Bedlam back