Last week, Mike Gundy suggested that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State host joint practices and then play a spring game in Stillwater and Norman, with the proceeds going to NIL purposes for both programs.
Not only would it break up the monotony of practicing against the same people every day, but it would also be something that fans could get excited about during the offseason.
Plus, with Colorado and Syracuse requesting to host joint practices together, it appeared that there might be a real path to Bedlam football really happening in the spring.
Then, like it always does, the NCAA fumbled the bag. The outdated and out-of-touch entity denied the request, noting concerns over academics and potential recruiting advantages not available to other programs.
The ruling makes little to no sense, and Gundy—always outspoken—shared his thoughts on the decision.
“I mean I mentioned it the other day, I just thought of the deal with OU,” Mike Gundy said. “I think it’s a good deal. I would like to do it. I would like to practice against them.”
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m not going to waste my time on who’s going to determine what the rules are anymore. Because essentially, there’s not really enough of them to follow. And I’m not sure how they have grounds to say you can’t do it. Like if somebody just goes and does it, what are they going to do to them?”
Gundy is absolutely right on this, too. The NCAA has bluffed its way into oblivion over the last several years, and the Supreme Court has essentially hamstrung it with recent rulings.
The good news is that the NCAA is operating on borrowed time right now, and before too long, programs likely won’t have to run things by them anymore. So it might not happen this offseason, but let’s revisit this in 2026.
