OSU Football: Nonconference Opponent Picked to Finish Near Bottom of SEC Standings
Oklahoma State scheduled one of the toughest conferences in September but not one of its toughest opponents.
OSU will kick off its 2024 season next month with the two-time reigning FCS national champions. If OSU can get past South Dakota State unscathed, it will meet an SEC team in the regular season for the first time since it opened the 2013 season against Mississippi State.
While an SEC opponent would typically be the toughest game of a nonconference schedule, it might be an easier matchup than Week 1. OSU will host Arkansas at Boone Pickens Stadium on Sept. 7 in the teams’ first meeting since 1980.
In Arkansas’ first trip to Stillwater since 1978, it will have almost no expectations, as the Razorbacks were picked to finish 14th in the SEC preseason media poll. Only two teams, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, finished below Arkansas.
READ MORE: Arkansas HC Sam Pittman, DL Landon Jackson 'Excited' to Play Oklahoma State in 2024
Coming off of a 4-8 season, Arkansas could struggle to turn things around in 2024. Last season, the team won only one SEC game and lost to BYU early in the year.
The Razorbacks also lost some key production last season, including their second-leading rusher AJ Green. After the rough year, Green entered the transfer portal and committed to OSU. While Green came to OSU to try and bolster a rushing attack alongside Ollie Gordon, a leg injury in the spring will keep him sidelined and take away his opportunity for a revenge game in Week 2.
Although Arkansas has struggled recently, it has dominated the all-time series against OSU. The Cowboys are 14-29-1 against the Razorbacks. An overwhelming majority of the matchups took place in Arkansas, with OSU breaking even at 4-4-1 at home.
READ MORE: OSU Football: AP Preseason Poll Set For Mid-August Release
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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.