For two straight years, Bedlam football lit up the college football radar. In 2003 and 2004, ESPN’s “College Gameday” descended upon Norman and Stillwater to shine a bright light on one of the most intense rivalries in college sports.

What was at stake in the Big 12 Conference as well as nationally made it more than a simple in-state rivalry.

The Sooners were ranked No. 1 and No. 2. The Cowboys came in at No. 12 and No. 20. The Big 12 South was up for grabs.

Over the previous five seasons, the Sooners prepared for the Cowboys with a potential Big 12 championship on the line. Three of those games included national championship implications.

Stakes like that won’t be on the table when Oklahoma (6-4, 5-2 Big 12) and Oklahoma State (4-6, 1-6) meet for the 100th time at 2:30 p.m. today at Owen Field.

Hopes of conference titles and BCS bowl invitations have long since faded for both teams.

Oklahoma defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek knows something’s missing, though he struggled to come up with just the right word: hype.

And without the ballyhoo, what’s left to play for?

For OU, plenty. For many reasons today still looms huge for the Sooners.

“I think it’s still an important game,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “The bottom line is we still need to win to try and complete our season in a positive way …

“Again, you can compare records. There’s been a number of years where we have been in situations where we’re not at the top of the league or not undefeated at this time. But they’re always important.”

For the Sooners, bowl implications swirl around Bedlam. Winning means the Sooners will travel to the Holiday Bowl or Alamo Bowl. A loss could knock OU down to the Independence Bowl.

For the Cowboys, this is it. All they can do is spoil the Sooners’ plans.

Should they prevail, it would likely seem like enough.

It’s a role they’ve been well-suited for in recent years.