Oklahoma State's Future Nonconference Schedules Could be in Jeopardy
Oklahoma State has some premier nonconference games upcoming, but some could be in jeopardy.
While OSU entered the 2024 season with hopes of making the College Football Playoff, it failed to win a conference game and never found itself in the rankings after September. While the Cowboys weren’t close to making the 12-team field, another program that was left out could take out its frustrations on OSU.
After going 9-3, Alabama was the first team out of the College Football Playoff.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne took to Twitter after the Crimson Tide were left out of the playoff in favor of SMU, which earned the final at-large bid. Along with saying he is disappointed with the result, he made an interesting comment about potential future schedule changes.
“We have said that we would need to see how strength of schedule would be evaluated by the CFP. With this outcome, we will need to asses how many P4 non-conference games make sense in the future to put us in the best position to participate in the CFP. That is not good for college football. “
Of course, Alabama’s issue wasn't its nonconference performance. All of Alabma’s losses came in SEC play, including a late loss at 6-6 Oklahoma. While Alabama had a weak nonconference schedule in 2024, it will have some tougher games in upcoming years, including a home-and-home with OSU.
Currently, OSU is set to host Alabama in 2028 and visit Tuscaloosa in 2029. However, with these recent comments from Byrne and the rising sentiment that scheduling tough nonconference games is pointless, the fans could be a casualty of the new playoff format.
Over the next decade, the Cowboys are set to face Oregon, Arkansas and Nebraska in high-profile matchups. Still, with the ever-changing landscape of college football, it seems there are no guarantees, not even the games on the schedule.
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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.