This football season is very strange for OU. So strange that, in my ways, it’s backward from the way things usually are.

I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, with Saturday’s loss to Texas Tech, OU now has five losses this season. It is easily the worst record in more than a decade under Stoops and equals the loss total of the Sooners’ previous two seasons combined.

This 2009 team has fallen a bit from national prestige.

On the opposite end, Oklahoma State has never been higher. After starting this year ranked preseason No. 5, the Cowboys are 9-2. Despite injury issues and the loss of their star receiver, OSU has sailed to territory brand new to its program.

Going into Bedlam this weekend, the roles have been reversed. The Sooners are fighting to stay above .500, and the Cowboys are seeking a spot in a major BCS bowl.

The Sooners have been out of the top-25 rankings since the loss to Nebraska, and the Cowboys are sitting at No. 12.

The Sooners lost their starting quarterback and the nation’s best tight end. The Cowboys lost their starting running back and their quarterback sat out a game, but OSU replaced them with a back who has eclipsed 1,000 yards and a quarterback who stepped in to lead the team to a comeback win.

The roles have definitely been reversed.

Analysts have been raving about the Cowboys, citing their tremendous depth at most positions and—except for the two losses—consistent play on both sides of the ball. Some have even declared the Cowboys are no longer second fiddle to their in-state rival Sooners.

Saturday is OU’s chance to prove otherwise.

The Sooners are underdogs this year for Bedlam, sure. The Sooners may be fighting to finish in the middle of the Big 12’s bowl-eligible teams, sure. The Sooners may have stumbled a long way since the Texas game, sure. But now is the time to right the boat.

This year’s Bedlam game is perhaps the most interesting match-up in the series’ history. Oklahoma State is looking to prove it is no longer the forgotten little brother. Oklahoma is looking to reassert itself as the dominant program in the state and salvage a rebuilding year. The usual roles for the teams have been switched.

Things will be different after Saturday’s game, no matter the outcome. Win, and the Sooners keep the Cowboys from BCS bowling and prove that no matter how far they might fall, they’re still on top in this state. Lose, and the Sooners give OSU the validity the Cowboys have been yearning for and will likely end the season before New Year’s Day.

The season boils down to this game. The roles have been reversed this season, but they don’t have to stay that way.