SOMETIMES THERE isn't much mystery to Bedlam football.

Not so this time around. In a bit of role reversal, it is Oklahoma State with big dreams on the line in Bedlam and questions around the health of quarterback Zac Robinson.

By contrast, Oklahoma will get a rare opportunity to play the role of spoiler and everyone wonders if the Sooners will be virtually unbeatable at home as they've been in recent years or the disaster they've been on the road this season.

It is Bedlam week and both teams are far from what many expected last summer. Both teams were stripped of high-powered playmakers through injuries and a suspension.

Both teams have suffered lopsided losses and upsets.

But you'll have a hard time convincing anyone on either side of this orange and crimson debate this isn't important.

Oklahoma State, 9-2 and 12th in the BCS standings, has a possible BCS bowl game on the line. Oklahoma, 6-5, has some pride and history to protect.

Both are headed to bowls regardless of what happens. OSU is rumored to be in line for the Fiesta Bowl if it can get past the Sooners. If not, it is believed the Cotton Bowl would love to have the Cowboys, who brought upward of 45,000 fans to the Cotton Bowl in 2004.

Oklahoma is projected to be in the Sun Bowl against a Pac-10 team with a win or loss to OSU.

But, as we've learned in past Bedlam games, some bizarre things often happen in this game.

Oklahoma-Oklahoma State games, or Oklahoma State-Oklahoma if you prefer, are named the "Bedlam Series" for good reason.

The term "Bedlam" was originally used to describe wrestling matches between the two state schools by the late Bob Dillinger, longtime Oklahoma City sportswriter and later the executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Even though the wrestling version of Bedlam has long been lopsided in favor of Oklahoma State, Dillinger declared it Bedlam in his wrestling column because of the unexpected nature of the matches that often resulted in pure bedlam.

It has since been used to describe any athletic event between the two state schools.

The football series is similar to the wrestling series in that one team has long dominated the games. The edge in football goes to OU. But, just like in wrestling, there have been so many bizarre moments in the football games that "Bedlam Series" is appropriate.

We've had kickoffs go off helmets, dropped passes in the end zone, phantom penalties and winning TD drives in the final moments by a freshman quarterback. And all of that was in just the last 20 years.

We've also had OU, the 2000 national champions, pushed to the final play by an OSU team with a losing record.

This year has already proven to be bedlam for both schools during what has been a long and strange road for the Sooners and Cowboys.

It has resulted in one of the most surprising and disappointing seasons for OSU and OU. The Cowboys overcame a series of obstacles, including losing their two best players on a high-powered offense, but have been resilient enough to soar to a 9-2 record. They are ranked 12th and are on the verge of getting a berth in the BCS bowl game for the first time ever.

Obviously, the Cowboys believe they would have been much more likely to be in a BCS game if they hadn't lost All-American receiver Dez Bryant to a year-long suspension and All-American running back Kendall Hunter to injury.

In addition, the Cowboys have lost two of their best defensive players and a starting tight end during the strange season.

And now, Robinson, who was the key to holding the Cowboys together to get to nine victories, is considered "50-50" for Bedlam. Without him, the Cowboys looked real average against Colorado.

Similarly, Oklahoma also lost its two best offensive players, including Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham.

Bradford's loss has been devastating for the Sooners, who alternated between nearly unbeatable at home and awful on the road.

Bradford's loss moved Landry Jones into the starting role and he's been erratic behind a line that has struggled all season. That line has been hit by injuries and has been a primary reason for OU's offensive troubles that bottomed out with a 10-3 loss at Nebraska.

So, welcome to Bedlam 2009 where we've got a strange role reversal for the Cowboys and Sooners.

Normally, it is Oklahoma with much on the line but this year it is Oklahoma State.

OSU's typical role of spoiler will be played by OU.

But, as we've learned through the years, this game is likely to take some unexpected turns for both teams.