Oklahoma State's Bowl Hopes on Life Support After Baylor Loss
Oklahoma State has made a bowl for each of the past 18 seasons, but that streak looks destined to end.
The Cowboys’ string of misery continued on Saturday in Waco. After losing their first four Big 12 games, the Cowboys lost 38-28 at Baylor to fall to 3-5 this season.
Of course, to make a bowl game, a team has to win six games. For OSU to reach that threshold, it must win three of its final four games.
Winning three of its four November games not only seemed like a possibility before the season, it was seen as nearly guaranteed. As OSU strengthens its grip on last place in the conference, that now seems like a near impossibility.
The Cowboys need to address many issues to make it to a bowl game for the 19th year in a row. Specifically, they need an answer defensively.
On Saturday, the Cowboys’ rush defense was nonexistent again. The Bears rushed for 343 yards, including several massive gains that killed any chance OSU had to win.
Along with all of the poor plays in the secondary, if Bryan Nardo wants any chance of coming back for a third season as defensive coordinator, his unit needs to look drastically different.
While there has been some more creativity than there was before the bye week, Kasey Dunn’s offense has struggled to find a consistent rhythm. Considering Alan Bowman is expected to start the rest of the way, anything different offensively is unlikely.
The Cowboys will face Arizona State, TCU, Texas Tech and Colorado in their final four games, hosting the Sun Devils and Red Raiders. Even winning out in Boone Pickens Stadium won’t be enough for OSU to salvage the season.
The Cowboys have had poor years throughout Mike Gundy’s tenure, but his teams have always responded even when all hope seems lost. With only four games left, hope is a long-lost thought for fans in Stillwater, and it might take a miracle for OSU to earn bowl eligibility.
READ MORE: Brennan Presley's Big Day Not Enough in Oklahoma State's Loss to Baylor
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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.