Mike Gundy sounds off on the state of Oklahoma State's brand after OU's exit

By 2025, Oklahoma will be out of the Big 12 and heading to the SEC. That’s quite a hit for the league — but Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said his team will come out of it just fine.

Gundy, speaking at Big 12 Media days on Wednesday, said his program has a strong enough brand to get through Oklahoma and Texas’ pending moves to the SEC. He also acknowledged where the game is going, but said the Big 12 still has plenty of good qualities to keep a high profile.

“As I said earlier, I don’t think that Oklahoma State has changed any with the alignment that started a year ago, and the fact that we have a strong brand, we have a successful winning tradition and a large number of people across the country that want to watch Oklahoma State football,” Gundy said. “As we’ve all talked about and we all understand, that’s the direction that college football is going. That’s where the money is. The moves that are being made are only made for the money, period.

“Fortunately, we have a long, long-term success at Oklahoma State in winning games in football and people wanting to watch us on TV. As I mentioned earlier, I’m convinced that the Big 12 will be here for a long time. Who will be in it? I’m not sure. But the brand and what we have at this point moving forward, and Oklahoma State will be a very, very marketable opportunity in the future.”

Mike Gundy says future of Bedlam rivalry is ‘someone else’s decision’

Conference realignment has a history of destroying rivalries, especially when it comes to the Big 12. Nearly a decade ago, it was Texas and Texas A&M see their annual Lone Star Showdown get dropped.

Now, there’s a chance the same happens for Oklahoma and Oklahoma State with Bedlam.

The Sooners will be heading to the SEC by 2025 at the latest but could pay a buyout before then to leave earlier. Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy commented on what the move meant for Bedlam, saying it’s up to somebody else as to whether or not the two programs will continue to play.

“The future of Bedlam is there’s a year or two left,” Gundy said. “That’s the future of Bedlam based on somebody else’s decision.”