College GameDay Bound for Bedlam Between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in Week 13

For all the talk in the preseason on how Baylor vs. TCU would be the biggest game of rivalry weekend in the Big 12, next Saturday's showdown between Oklahoma (10-1) and Oklahoma State (10-1) will take that honor—and the coveted visit from ESPN's College GameDay. 

The popular pregame show announced Sunday morning that it will visit Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the annual matchup in the Bedlam Series between the visiting Sooners and the host Cowboys.

As always on rivalry weekend, GameDay didn't have a shortage of appealing games from which to pick.

But the show went with the somewhat rare decision to visit a school that is coming off a loss. Oklahoma State's undefeated start to the season ended Saturday night in a home 45-35 defeat to one-loss Baylor.

That loss, coupled with previously unbeaten Ohio State's 17-14 loss to Michigan State, swung the door wide open for Oklahoma to stake a strong claim for the College Football Playoff, as Bleacher Report's Bryan Fischer noted Saturday night:

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The Sooners are not just in the running to make the final four, however; they should be a lock with a win next week in the annual Bedlam game against their in-state rivals. While folks may make arguments (and have good ones) in South Carolina and Tuscaloosa as to who really is the best team in the country, it’s tough to overlook that Oklahoma is playing the best of anyone over the past two months.

Combined with the result up the road—Baylor throttled Oklahoma State 45-35 in Stillwater—and ensuing chaos elsewhere around the country, it looks increasingly like we’re on a path that includes Stoops’ squad in the playoff.

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While Oklahoma State most likely needed to win out in order to make the final four, the Cowboys still have plenty to play for next week than just the usual bragging rights.

If TCU knocks off Baylor next Friday night and Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, Mike Gundy's team would be the outright Big 12 champion with an 11-1 record.

"It's been a great year; it's a chance to have a phenomenal year," Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said, per Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman. "There's a lot that they know they can play for. Yes, it hurts having that ultimate goal out, but there's a lot of people in the nation that face that every week."

This year's Bedlam game is shaping up to be the sixth time in eight seasons that both rivals will be ranked heading into the matchup.

As for the prospect of more late-game drama and championship-level chaos, each of the last three meetings have been decided by single digits—with two of those going into overtime.

Last year, unranked Oklahoma State knocked off Oklahoma in unbelievable fashion, forcing overtime with less than a minute remaining on a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown. After Oklahoma missed a field goal, Ben Grogan knocked his down to give the Cowboys a 38-35 victory.

In a series long dominated by the Sooners, the Cowboys will be looking to grab back-to-back wins for the first time since 2001 and 2002—a pair of upsets over Top-Five teams from Oklahoma. 

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.