Oct. 4—Once the University of Oklahoma moves to the Southeastern Conference, the Bedlam football game with Oklahoma State won’t happen, at least for several years.

That was the assessment of Chad Weiberg, OSU athletic director, who spoke Monday, at Enid Rotary Club.

Non-conference schedules are made years in advance, he said, so Bedlam may not happen again for 15 years or so.

“It’s a good Monday to come, since OSU won their football game against Baylor,” Weiberg said. “It doesn’t always work out that way every Monday.”

The Cowboys beat Baylor 36-25 to improve to 4-0 this season.

OSU, like every other school, is dealing with many other issues, Weiberg said, making this the most transitional time in college athletics.

“Everything is happening at one time,” he said. “We have the transfer portal, conference realignment and athletes being able to monetize their name, image and likeness.”

Weiberg says the college sports budgets have soared, and there is constant pressure to get things right. He said six football coaches already have been fired this season.

Continuity in the athletic program at OSU has made it successful, he said.

The financial support of Boone Pickens created a major paradigm shift at Oklahoma State.

“It wasn’t just his donation, he changed the thinking of the university,” Weiberg said. “Pickens influenced 3,000 other donors.”

He says the hard work of then-OSU President Burns Hargis and Athletic Director Mike Holder helped with the success OSU enjoys today.

Weiberg said he realizes the importance of continuing to move forward in helping athletes have a positive experience while they are at OSU. In regard to athletes being able to earn NIL money, the university has Brain Squad marketing that helps athletes with starting their own small businesses.

Weiberg is an OSU graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business. He interned in the athletic department as a junior and senior, and after graduation he took the job as director of corporate sales and donor relations. He left OSU to join his wife at Kansas State in the athletic department.

“I knew we might never come back to OSU, but she had a good job she loved,” he said.

Weiberg was at Kansas State 11 years before taking the deputy athletic director job at Texas Tech for two years. He came back to OSU as assistant athletic director in June 2017 and became athletic director in July 2021.

“I’m glad to be back home at OSU and will never take for granted the 52 national championship flags we wave,” he said. “We are in the top four in the country, and I think that is pretty special.”