It’s hard to possibly fathom, but the world of college athletics will change in about a month.

When the calendar hits July 1, the college athletics will receive a big-time facelift.

First off, July 1 will be when the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. For our state, the biggest thing we’ll have to get used to is no annual Bedlam games for OU with Oklahoma State in much of anything — barring a college bowl game or a special basketball matchup or tournament or, of course, March Madness or the Men’s and/or Women’s College World Series.

Last year, I mentioned a way for Bedlam to work. One way is to put Bedlam on the final regular-season weekend, such as done with Clemson-South Carolina, Louisville-Kentucky, Georgia-Georgia Tech and Florida-Florida State.

Another way is to do it the way Iowa and Iowa State do theirs, have it during the pre-conference football season. The annual Iowa-Iowa State battle happens on Week 2 of the regular season.

Maybe OU and OSU can get things worked out beginning in 2025.

Another major change to college athletics is the abolishment of the Pacific-12, or Pac-12, Conference. Beginning July 1, Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Southern California are going to join the Big 10 (which personally makes no sense to me), while the Arizona Wildcats, the Arizona State Sun Devils, Deion “Primetime” Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes and the Utah Utes will join the Big 12 and California and Stanford will join the Atlantic Coast Conference (which, too, makes no sense).

All that will be left will be Oregon State and Washington State, who are going to join the West Coast Conference for the next two seasons. However, the only problem with that is none of those schools play football.

So, it was reported on Oregon State’s website that the Beavers and the Cougars officially made a scheduling deal with the Mountain West Conference for at least the 2024 season. Each of the MW Conference teams will play seven games, with one of those being against the Beavers or the Cougars, but neither “newbies” would be eligible for the conference championship.

The Oregon State website story added that there is still a possibility of a Mountain West/ Pacific-2 merger or the Beavers and Cougars joining the MW Conference eventually.

In my opinion, the Beavers and Cougars should have gone to the Mountain West Conference all along.

I also will point out that Southern Methodist University is leaving the American Athletic Conference and going to the ACC as well, another move that makes no sense to me.

••• Memorial Day was celebrated May 27. I hope you took the time over the Memorial Day Weekend to remember those who gave their lives serving and protecting our country so we have the freedoms we get to enjoy.

I spent the holiday weekend helping my 97-year-old mom in my hometown of Enid, by the way, where she has lived her entire life, decorating 14 grave markers/ headstones of 23 family and friends over two cemeteries in town.

I know one of these days, this duty will befall me once my mom passes, but maybe we’ll both get lucky and the rapture will come before then.

••• For one moment, let me combine the college athletic world with Memorial Day, as it was a somber day for basketball fans.

Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton lost his battle with colon cancer on Memorial Day, passing at age 71.

Walton was one of the greatest players ever, playing for the legendary John Wooden at UCLA, then winning two National Basketball Association Finals — one with the Portland Trail Blazers (the only one in franchise history to this point) and the Boston Celtics late in his career.

When he quit playing due to injuries, he turned to being a basketball analyst, namely for ESPN. It was there we could see the down-to-earth version of Walton, wearing tie-dye/psychedelic shirts and pretty much speaking his mind — holding nothing back.

I guess if there’s a solice with Walton’s passing, it’s that he passed before the true Pac-12 Conference died. He always called the conference, “The Conference of Champions.”

R.I.P., Bill Walton.

••• This is just a reminder to you coaches about letting me know if any of your senior athletes will be signing letters of intent in the near future.

I would prefer to have two-day notice, but oneday notice is sufficient, to let me know where and when the signing will take place because if I’m notified, I will be there to catch the moment.

My contact information is at the end of this column.

•••

Seeley is the sports editor of The Vian Tenkiller News. He can be reached by telephone at (918) 775-4433, Ext. 139 or by e-mail at davids@cookson. news.