OSU Football: Ranking the Cowboys' Potential Trap Games in 2024
Oklahoma State is no stranger to success, but sometimes it only takes one game for everything to come crashing down.
Throughout the Mike Gundy era, OSU has competed for a Big 12 championship several times, but that has not always led to results. In 2011, OSU beat Oklahoma in the final week of the season to win a Big 12 title in Gundy’s seventh season. OSU has not won the conference again in the 12 years since.
Throughout that stretch, OSU has competed in de facto Big 12 title games and had a couple of trips to Arlington. However, OSU has had opportunities to go to Arlington and opportunities to win the conference outright stripped from them in the middle of the season. Although every team has had issues with trap games, the Cowboys have failed to meet expectations more times than they would like. With Big 12 title aspirations in 2024, OSU could run into a trap again.
Ranking OSU’s top 3 potential trap games in 2024:
3. Game 1 vs. South Dakota State
If a season opener can be a trap game, then the Cowboys are in for one in late August. The Jackrabbits have won 29 straight games and two straight FCS national titles.
Although OSU has aspirations of competing for an FBS title, taking down a team of SDSU’s caliber in the first game of the season in likely 2024’s hottest game will be difficult. If OSU’s struggles with slow starts rears its head again next season, the Cowboys might be in trouble.
READ MORE: Kickoff Time Announced For Oklahoma State Season Opener Against South Dakota State
2. Game 10 at TCU
The Cowboys could be in trouble in Fort Worth for next season’s matchup. Their matchup against the Horned Frogs will end their four-game stretch between bye weeks and a week after Homecoming.
As TCU looks to have a bounce-back year, OSU will have a tall task to win a road game against TCU, something it has done only once since TCU joined the Big 12.
1. Game 6 vs. West Virginia
After a potentially tricky nonconference schedule and matchups against Big 12 favorites Utah and Kansas State, the Cowboys will host West Virginia. As one of the conference’s surprise teams last season, WVU went 9-4.
As the Mountaineers come off a bye week, the Cowboys will be looking ahead to one. WVU will also have some early tests against Penn State and Kansas before having an extra week to prepare for its trip to Stillwater.
READ MORE: OSU Recruiting: Oklahoma State Offers Two 2027 QBs at 'The Show' Camp in Stillwater
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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.