ESPN's College GameDay Snubs Oklahoma State in Big 12 Title Picks

The Cowboys will need to prove some doubters wrong to reach their goals next season.
Oklahoma State's Joe Michalski (66) and Alan Bowman (7) walk to the field for warm ups before the Big 12 Football Championship game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
Oklahoma State's Joe Michalski (66) and Alan Bowman (7) walk to the field for warm ups before the Big 12 Football Championship game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oklahoma State is one of the top contenders in the Big 12 next season, but it does not have the trust of some national media.

On Saturday, the first games of the 2024 season are set to kick off, beginning with Florida State and Georgia Tech in Ireland. That also means the first College GameDay of the season. 

The Gameday crew picked its playoff teams and conference champions for 2024. After no one picked the Cowboys to make the College Football Playoff, the GameDay crew doubled down, with no one picking them to win the Big 12.

Pat McAfee and guest picker Sheamus picked an underdog in West Virginia to win the conference. Meanwhile, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit picked Utah, the favorite to win the conference.

The Cowboys enter the season at third in conference title odds and also finished third in the Big 12’s preseason poll. As Mike Gundy begins his 20th season as head coach, he is looking to win his second conference title and make the College Football Playoff for the first time.

OSU will face Gameday’s picks to win the conference and Kansas State, which finished second in the preseason poll, over the first three weeks of conference play.

While getting past a three-week stretch of Utah, Kansas State and West Virginia will be a tough task, a 6-0 record could nearly guarantee a spot in the playoff. As OSU’s schedule eases over the final half of the season, its season will be judged heavily by its early three-week stretch.

Of course, a trip to Arlington is the expectation for the Cowboys after making the Big 12 Championship in two of the past three years. While OSU could not get past Baylor and Texas in past opportunities, this could be a chance for the team to stake its claim as the premier team of the new-look Big 12.


READ MORE: ESPN's College GameDay Leaves OSU Football Out Of College Football Playoff Prediction

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Ivan White
IVAN WHITE

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.