Can Oklahoma State Avoid its First 3-4 Start Since 2005?
Oklahoma State will need a win next week to avoid its worst start in nearly two decades.
Mike Gundy took over as OSU’s head coach in the 2005 season. After starting 3-0, his team dropped five straight before finishing 4-7. This season’s OSU squad is on a similar trajectory.
That 2005 team was the last time OSU started 3-4. For the past 18 seasons, OSU has maintained a winning record after seven games. Now, the only way to avoid that start will be to win a game that looked troubling when OSU still had College Football Playoff aspirations.
Pending a matchup against Arizona on Saturday, BYU could enter next week’s Friday night contest undefeated and knocking on the door of a top-10 ranking. Considering that the Cougars have looked good all season, particularly at home, Week 8 presents a challenge that OSU has not had in some time.
Considering OSU is 0-3 in conference play for the first time since 2005 and has been playing a nine-game conference schedule since 2011, 3-3 starts have been a rarity under Gundy. The team’s most recent season with a 3-3 record came in 2007 when it dropped nonconference games at Georgia and Troy.
The Cowboys dominated their seventh game in 2007, winning 45-14 at Nebraska on their way to a 7-6 year. One major difference from this season is that Nebraska went 5-7 and entered that matchup at 4-2.
BYU will enter next Friday with a 5-1 or 6-0 record, which includes a dominant late-night win against a ranked Kansas State squad. Winning on the road is always tough, and BYU boasts one of the best environments in the Big 12.
One of the only optimistic views of OSU’s winless Big 12 campaign is it has only played teams in the thick of the conference title race. While the schedule should lighten up as the season progresses, not even that sentiment will save the Cowboys against BYU.
READ MORE: Oklahoma State Narrowly Avoids Last Place in Big 12 Preseason Poll
Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.