Oklahoma State to see Rankings Boost After Week 1 Win
Following their rout of South Dakota State on Saturday, the Oklahoma State football team will undoubtedly see a boost in the rankings.
The Cowboys came into the season as the No. 17-ranked squad, just one spot below their final 2023 ranking of No. 16. They opened their season with a quality win on Saturday, running away from the Jackrabbits, 44-20, at home.
Heisman hopeful Ollie Gordon II picked up where he left off — rushing for 104 yards with three touchdowns in total — and Alan Bowman showed his veteran ways with 267 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Not all teams were as lucky, though.
The first casualty was No. 10 Florida State, who opened up their season with a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland.
No. 14 Clemson also suffered a Week 1 loss, though they had more room for error against No. 1-ranked Georgia. Thought their 34-3 final wasn’t exactly a pretty one.
No. 20 Texas A&M was the only other top-25 team to suffer a first-week loss, losing to No. 7 Notre Dame 23-13. Though the Pokes were already ranked ahead of the Aggies.
Barring any teams leapfrogging them, it looks like OSU will rise at least two spots in the rankings to No. 15, theoretically three spots shy of the impending 12-team College Football Playoff. The team will undoubtedly have ample chances to continue rising this season, starting with the Arkansas Razorbacks at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11.
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DEREK PARKER
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.