Oklahoma State Projected to Miss CFP Ahead of Conference Opener
Oklahoma State has high expectations for this season, but it will still make a postseason appearance if it falls short.
The Cowboys are 3-0 ahead of their conference opener against Utah, a matchup that could significantly impact the Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff. If the Cowboys can take care of business against Utah and escape Manhattan with a win against Kansas State to end September, they will be in the driver’s seat to win the conference.
OSU has not won a conference title since 2011 despite making two of the past three Big 12 Championships. Considering the conference's perceived weakness, the Big 12 will be hard-pressed to field multiple teams in the 12-team field.
In Brett McMurphy’s latest bowl projections for the 2024 postseason, he has Utah as the lone Big 12 team in the playoff. Utah’s projection as the Big 12 champion makes some sense, as it is the highest-ranked team in the conference.
OSU also has perhaps the toughest path of the three favorites. OSU has to play both Utah and Kansas State, while those teams never match up this season.
Considering their tough conference slate early, the Cowboys are projected to face Notre Dame in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. While a trip to the playoff would be monumental for Mike Gundy’s program, getting rewarded with an edible mascot could be a well-earned consolation prize.
With so much to be determined in the next several weeks, any bowl projection is to be taken lightly. Still, OSU and Notre Dame had a classic in their last matchup in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
Last season, OSU finished second in the Big 12 and fell to Texas in the title game. That was not enough to earn the Cowboys a premier bowl game, beating Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.
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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.