Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy's Bowl Chances Fading
For just the second time in Mike Gundy’s career, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have started their season out with three wins and five losses.
The first was the head coach’s debut season with the program. The Cowboys then saw three-straight non-conference wins out the gate, beating Montana State, Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State before losing five-straight Big 12 games.
The 2005 team was able to muster one final win against Texas Tech in Week 9, but failed to make a bowl game for what is the only blemish of that kind in Gundy’s illustrious resume.
Now, this year’s Cowboys could be trending towards that very fate.
Oddly enough, Oklahoma State has followed that very same path this season. It opened up its season with big wins against South Dakota State, Arkansas and Tulsa in non-conference before dropping its last five, all to Big 12 squads.
Losses to ranked teams in Utah, Kansas State and BYU were excusable in the grand scheme, but West Virginia and Baylor have puzzled. OSU was projected to see similar success to past seasons, starting out ranked and bringing back a plethora of experience in seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman, its entire offensive line and various offensive and defensive weapons.
But things simply haven't clicked.
With just three wins to their name entering Week 9, OSU is running out of time to grab the much-needed wins to play in bowl season.
Gundy has led the Cowboys to 17-straight Bowl appearances, an obvious record in the school’s history. But the Pokes will need to pick up three wins in its last four games.
To start, the feat is doable. OSU plays Arizona State, TCU, Texas Tech and Colorado, all teams that were likely penciled in as wins for the orange team prior to season-start. But it’s going to be an uphill battle with limited momentum.
For now, Gundy and co. are likely laser-focused on its upcoming opponent in ASU. If they can muster another Week 9 win, who knows what could happen to cap off the year.
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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.