Oklahoma Memo

The Eric Morris era begins with an immediate test — and a chance for revenge.

Oklahoma State opens the 2026 season Saturday at Tulsa, less than a year after the Golden Hurricane stunned the Cowboys 19-12 in Stillwater. This time, OSU arrives with a new coaching staff, 91 newcomers and an offense built around former North Texas standouts Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young.

Bedlam Buds Ryan Welton and Jeremy Cook explain why Tulsa’s 4-8 record from last season is misleading. The Golden Hurricane defeated Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Army, returns promising quarterback Baylor Hayes and brings back key pieces from one of the nation’s most improved pass defenses.

The guys examine OSU’s high-speed offense, its massive transfer class, the questions surrounding its defense and the small details that will show whether this program has truly changed. They also discuss Tulsa’s likely attempt to slow the game down, the effect of the afternoon heat and what they want to see before the Cowboys face Oregon in Week 2.

Plus, Jeremy breaks down backup quarterback Grant Jordan and explains why Oklahoma State’s depth should become a major advantage as the game progresses.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at H.A. Chapman Stadium on ESPNU.

How many games will Oklahoma win in 2026?

Ryan Welton and Clay Horning go game by game through the Sooners’ schedule — and emerge with two different paths to a successful season.

Ryan predicts a 10-2 finish, including wins at Georgia and over Texas, followed by a trip to the College Football Playoff. Clay sees OU stumbling against Michigan, Georgia and Texas before finding its offense, closing the season on a seven-game winning streak and finishing 9-3.

The two also discuss whether John Mateer and Ben Arbuckle can produce a significantly improved offense, which running backs could change OU’s trajectory and why Isaiah Sategna may be the Sooners’ most dangerous offensive weapon.

Plus: Is Texas overrated? Could Ole Miss become the game that determines Brent Venables’ future? Would a 9-3 Oklahoma team deserve a playoff bid—and should smaller conference champions get priority over three-loss SEC teams?

Subscribe to Oklahoma Memo at OklahomaMemo.com and follow Clay’s work at Oklahoma Columnist on Substack.

A bite from a lone star tick can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially serious allergy to red meat, dairy and other mammalian products.

KOSU reporter Sierra Pfeifer joins Oklahoma Memo founder Ryan Welton to explain why the condition is gaining attention in Oklahoma, how eastern red cedar trees may be helping ticks spread and why alpha-gal can be difficult to diagnose.

They also discuss Oklahoma’s new reporting requirements, precautions people can take outdoors and how No Cow Bakery & Café in Edmond is creating a safe place for customers with alpha-gal and other food allergies.

Read Sierra’s complete KOSU report:
https://www.kosu.org/alpha-gal-syndrome-oklahomans-adapt

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https://www.oklahomamemo.com/subscribe

Data centers are generating fierce opposition across Oklahoma, but could these projects also benefit local taxpayers?

Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, joins Oklahoma Memo founder Ryan Welton to present a different perspective on the data center debate. Sepp argues that responsibly developed data centers can expand local tax bases, stabilize residential property taxes and create economic activity beyond the jobs located inside the facilities.

But this isn’t an argument for giving developers a blank check. Ryan and Pete discuss the need for public transparency, responsible water and energy policies, equal tax treatment and agreements requiring data centers to cover the infrastructure costs they create.

They also examine whether developers should contribute directly to roads, schools, public safety and other community priorities — and why residents must be included before consequential decisions are made.

The central question isn’t simply whether data centers are good or bad. It’s whether Oklahoma communities can negotiate projects that deliver more value than cost.

In this episode:

Learn more about the National Taxpayers Union at NTU.org.

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Congressional District 1 candidate John Croisant believes Oklahoma Democrats have something they haven’t enjoyed in years: multiple races they can realistically win.

Croisant joins Oklahoma Memo’s Ryan Welton to discuss what the narrow Republican gubernatorial runoff revealed about the state’s electorate, why Democratic candidates are coordinating their campaigns, and how face-to-face organizing could reach voters who feel overlooked by traditional political campaigns.

He also criticizes candidates who pour millions of dollars into their own campaigns, arguing that self-funding can create new questions about influence after the election.

Other topics include:

• America’s response to catastrophic flooding in Nepal
• Cyndi Munson’s campaign for governor
• Jasmine Thomas and Oklahoma’s U.S. Senate race
• The Oklahoma Republican Party’s primary endorsements
• Political disengagement and low voter turnout
• President Trump’s trade war with Canada
• Beef imports and pressure on Oklahoma agricultural producers
• Immigration enforcement and its effect on farms
• Affordability, education and rural health care

Croisant is a Democrat running in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District. Follow his journey at https://www.croisantforcongress.com

And sign up for the Oklahoma Memo daily local news recap at https://www.oklahomamemo.com/subscribe

President Donald Trump wants the 2026 midterms to become a referendum on himself — but could that strategy backfire?

In this week’s Grant and Ryan conversation, Ryan Welton and Grant Hermes examine the administration’s actions involving mail-in ballots, election monitoring, voting infrastructure and federal law enforcement. Grant lays out what he sees as a broader effort to create doubt and disruption around the election, while explaining the legal and practical limits on what a president can do.

They also dig into the striking Oklahoma runoff map that divided much of the state along I-44. Why did Mike Mazzei dominate southeastern Oklahoma while Gentner Drummond performed better in the northwest? Ryan and Grant discuss voter turnout, television markets, Trump’s endorsement and what the results could mean for Cyndi Munson in the general election.

Plus, Oklahoma cattle producers are unhappy with plans to import more beef. Ryan and Grant discuss the administration’s proposed response, the safety and economic questions surrounding locally processed meat, and how immigration enforcement could further disrupt the meat industry.

Finally, the United States and Canada are entering a potentially costly trade war. The two discuss the products that could become more expensive, why Canada is pushing back and how the dispute could affect consumers heading into the holiday season.

Topics include:

• Trump’s strategy for the 2026 midterms
• Mail-in ballots and election monitoring
• Oklahoma’s I-44 political divide
• Mike Mazzei, Gentner Drummond and Cyndi Munson
• Beef imports and Oklahoma cattle producers
• Meat processing, inspections and immigration enforcement
• Tariffs and the U.S.-Canada trade war

Grant and Ryan is a weekly conversation from the Oklahoma Memo podcast featuring Ryan Welton and Grant Hermes of Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes.

Get Oklahoma Memo delivered free six mornings a week at OklahomaMemo.com.

Subscribe to Grant's work at https://www.youtube.com/@mimsnewspod and at https://makeitmakesensepod.substack.com/

Roger Denny has made one of the biggest decisions of his young tenure as Oklahoma’s athletic director: extending Brent Venables through 2031 at $10.5 million per year.

Was it a deserved reward after a 10-2 season — or an unnecessary financial gamble?

On this episode of The Long View, Oklahoma Memo founder Ryan Welton and veteran sports columnist Clay Horning (OklahomaColumnist.com) break down the new contract and the risk it creates for OU. Clay calculates that if the Sooners move on from Venables after the 2027 season, the university could owe approximately $42 million — $25 million more than it would have owed under the previous deal.

Ryan and Clay also debate whether Venables has stabilized the program, what Ben Arbuckle must prove as offensive coordinator and whether Kevin Wilson provides OU with a valuable safety net. Plus, they explain why John Mateer, an experienced offensive line and a potentially improved running game could give the Sooners a dramatically better offense in 2026.

Denny has now placed major bets on both Venables and men’s basketball coach Porter Moser. If those bets fail, what happens?

Read more from Clay Horning at OklahomaColumnist.com, and subscribe to the Oklahoma Memo (OklahomaMemo.com) newsletter. Hits your inbox six days a week at 7 a.m.

Oklahoma State’s receiving corps has been rebuilt—and the difference is already visible.

On this episode of Bedlam Buds, Ryan Welton and Jeremy Cook examine the speed, depth and versatility surrounding quarterback Drew Mestemaker in Eric Morris’ new offense. Jeremy shares what he has observed from North Texas transfers Wyatt Young, Miles Coleman and Terrance Lewis, along with Chris Barnes and 6-foot-5 target Justin Bowick.

They discuss why Young could become a major yards-after-the-catch weapon, how Coleman’s speed could translate to both offense and special teams, and why OSU may unleash a wide-open attack from the opening kickoff against Tulsa.

Ryan and Jeremy also revisit Cowgirl soccer’s Bedlam loss, consider how coaches can demand greater effort and discuss the latest encouraging development surrounding Parsa Fallah and Oklahoma State basketball.

Plus: Could OSU become the most improved program in college football?

Have a position group, player or piece of Cowboy history you want Bedlam Buds to explore? Send us your question or leave a comment.

Subscribe to the Oklahoma Memo daily newsletter at https://oklahomamemo.com/subscribe.

A Comanche County judge has unsealed 285 pages of internal State Farm records at the center of lawsuits over the insurer’s handling of Oklahoma roof claims.

Griffin Media political analyst Scott Mitchell joins Oklahoma Memo founder Ryan Welton to explain what the documents appear to reveal, why State Farm fought their release and how the case could affect Oklahoma politics just days before the primary runoff.

Ryan and Scott discuss Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s intervention, internal references to reducing roof-replacement payouts, the order requiring State Farm’s CEO to sit for a deposition and the questions now facing candidates who previously dismissed the controversy or advocated limits on lawsuits against insurers.

State Farm has not been found liable, and the allegations remain the subject of ongoing litigation. But for the first time, the public can examine documents that were previously kept under seal.

Subscribe to the free Oklahoma Memo newsletter, delivered six mornings a week: https://oklahomamemo.com/subscribe

America’s national debt has reached $40 trillion. But what does that number actually mean—and when does debt become a genuine threat to the country’s economy and national security?

Ryan Welton and Grant Hermes break down the difference between debt and the deficit, explain why confidence in the United States matters and explore how the war with Iran could place even more pressure on prices at home.

They also discuss the USS Abraham Lincoln’s return after an exceptionally long deployment. Its replacement, the USS George Washington, is being moved from the South China Sea—raising serious questions about Taiwan, China and America’s ability to meet its military commitments around the world.

Before that, Ryan and Grant assess a midterm landscape that has grown increasingly difficult for Republicans. Unexpectedly competitive races could force the GOP to spend money in states it once considered safe—and Oklahoma could even become part of the strategy.

Plus, Grant investigates a mysterious fake polling operation whose invented results were cited by campaigns, television stations and major polling aggregators.

In this episode:

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