OSU Football: Finishing Regular Season Strong Critical to Big 12 Title Hopes
Oklahoma State has made two of the past three Big 12 Championship games, but it has struggled to run through the finish line.
OSU is coming off a 10-win season with more returning production than almost any team in college football in 2024. With Oklahoma and Texas beginning their SEC tenures this season, OSU is one of the favorites in a wide-open Big 12.
In 2021 and 2023, Mike Gundy led two vastly different teams to Arlington to compete for a Big 12 Championship. However, the Cowboys came up short in both trips. Although the Cowboys played tough opponents in both matchups, their final regular-season game each year might have contributed to their championship shortcomings.
In 2023, OSU surprisingly overcame a 2-2 start to make a run at the Big 12 title. After beating OU in the last Big 12 Bedlam game, OSU controlled its destiny for the Big 12 Championship.
However, a blowout loss to UCF a week later complicated things. Still, OSU was in a win-and-in position going into its regular season finale against BYU.
The Cowboys fell behind 24-6 at halftime and needed a five-touchdown performance from Ollie Gordon to beat the Cougars in double overtime and punch their ticket to Arlington. After expending so much energy in the comeback, they fell flat in the title game and quickly fell behind 28-7 in the 28-point loss.
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A couple of years earlier, OSU had another sluggish championship game start. In 2021, OSU trailed Baylor 21-3 late in the second quarter, with Spencer Sanders already throwing two interceptions. OSU went on to lose 21-16, and it was no coincidence the team had one of the most significant wins of the Gundy era a week earlier.
Before falling to Baylor in Arlington, OSU moved to 11-1 with a Bedlam win in Stillwater, the team’s first home win against OU in a decade. Trailing 33-24 going into the fourth quarter, OSU had to have one of its most intense quarters of the season to come back and win.
In 2024, the Cowboys have hopes of winning the conference for the first time since 2011. Knowing a potential top 10 opponent would be waiting for them in Arlington, a strong overall performance will be needed at Colorado to cap the regular season. Although OSU would be happy with any win in Colorado if it means another Big 12 Championship appearance, a big win in Boulder could set the Cowboys up nicely for the title game.
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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.