Greg McElroy: Mike Gundy's Bedlam spring game pitch would be 'watered down' version of rivalry

Conference realignment has taken away a lot of great matchups, but perhaps none more meaningful to individual fanbases than that of Bedlam football. The annual rivalry game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State used to be a Big 12 staple but was taken away with the Sooners’ move to the SEC.

Cowboys coach Mike Gundy recently suggested the two teams reignite the rivalry with an annual spring game featuring two matchups at each school’s campus. McElroy addressed the possibility on his Always College Football podcast to explain why he believes that would be doing a disservice to the history of the game.

With so many classic Bedlam matchups, a spring game with no real stakes involved would feel “watered down” to McElroy. In that case, he’d rather wait until the teams came meet in a regular season or potential postseason matchup.

“We now consider Bedlam — that rivalry is on the short list of my favorite rivlaries,” McElroy said. “You don’t have to have any interest whatsoever in Oklahoma or Oklahoma State football to know that that’s a really special one. The stakes of that game and the excitement that that game has delivered from time to time and the chaos it delivered from time to time. I love Bedlam. I grew up with Bedlam. …To see it now watered down to the point in which you have not full-tackle, spring game thud-style practices? I can’t allow that to happen. I would rather not have it than to have it watered down.”

McElroy, who played for the NFL’s New York Jets, compared it to a preseason game between the Jets and Giants. Although there is the rivalry aspect, the game lacks real importance because it is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. He believes the same would be true for a Bedlam spring game.

Part of what makes the rivalry so appealing is when it can affect the win column or conference stakes are involved. This version of the game, though it might appease a portion of the fan base, wouldn’t come close to the real thing.

“I don’t want to take something that’s great and make it worse,” McElroy said. “The Jets and the Giants, for instance, they do this game in the NFL every year. It’s the third preseason game, which is traditionally the game where the starters in the preseason play the most time. It’s the Snoopy Bowl. They’re at MetLife Stadium. I played in it three times. I’ll tell you this, I don’t think anyone really cares if the Jets or the Giants win the third preseason game. They might talk about it on New York sports radio, but no one really cares. Because it doesn’t matter.

“Preseason doesn’t matter and spring football doesn’t matter. You know what matters? Not ruining something that was already great, and that’s Bedlam. Because at some point Bedlam will return. Let’s not water it down in the process. I like the concept, appreciate the thought and appreciate the creativity. But please, we’re good.”