Oklahoma State Caps Worst Season in Mike Gundy Era with Colorado Loss
With a resounding loss to Colorado in Friday’s early slate, the Oklahoma State Cowboys capped off a 3-9 season — likely the worst in Mike Gundy’s tenure as a head coach, all things considered.
Three wins was the lowest for a Gundy-led Cowboys team, the next closest being 2005’s 4-9 squad, his first-ever season with the program. And even aside from the numbers, which featured an 0-for-9 conference record, the storylines likely paint the picture this was the most a Cowboys team has underachieved in some time.
The team brought back a seventh-year quarterback in Alan Bowman, as well as the most experienced offensive line in the conference. Not to mention its star running back in Ollie Gordon, who amassed 1,732 rushing yards last season. Suffice it to say, the team was expecting more than it's output this season.
But things went from bad to worst as OSU picked up loss after loss in conference play.
Prior to the season, both team’s likely had Friday’s matchup circled as a game with potential Big 12 and College Football Playoffs ramifications. But this week, OSU’s loss was widely expected.
The Buffaloes, under the leadership of Deion Sanders, have put together strong season so far. They have the odds on Heisman favorite in hybrid Travis Hunter, who could very well be the NFL Draft’s upcoming No. 1 pick, as well as likely the top pro QB prospect in Shedeur Sanders.
The blowout loss — its worst of the season, and likely worst in over a decade — somewhat encapsulated the team's season, which saw little momentum across its 12 games.
Now, Gundy will look to re-group next year for a 2025 season that will feature plenty of questions marks on both sides of the ball. Fortunately for the program, Gundy and OSU have had their backs against the wall before, and seem to come out on top more than not.
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Derek is co-founder of All Pokes and publisher for Draft Digest and Inside The Thunder for Fan Nation, powered by Sports Illustrated. He has been a sports writer in the Oklahoma market for five years now covering a variety of sports over the course of his career.