Big 12 College Football Team Preview 2024: Oklahoma State Cowboys

Mike Gundy returns for another season at the helm of Oklahoma State. The throne sits vacant – can the Cowboys assume it a year after making the Big 12 Championship game?

Dec 27, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II (0) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Under Mike Gundy, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have been remarkably consistent. Since 2008, Gundy has two times more 9+ win seasons in Stillwater (10) than those with more than four losses (5). Oklahoma State hasn't missed a bowl game since his first year and it has a 12-6 record in those bowls. No matter the personnel, schedule, or otherwise, the Pokes are one of the Big 12's most consistent programs.

However, they lack a Big 12 Championship game win. Last year, the Pokes made Arlington but took one on the chin to Texas, falling 49-21. Texas and Oklahoma are gone for the SEC – two teams Oklahoma State is a combined 31-118-7 (.208) against – leaving the top of the league ripe for the taking. With so much back in 2024, the Cowboys look to be that team to rise to the top.

Oklahoma State Cowboys Football History

Oct 15, 1988, Lincoln, NE, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Barry Sanders (21) carries the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium during the 1988 season. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports / Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Before Gundy, Oklahoma State had its years, but never for a long period of time. Before 2005, the Pokes recorded 10+ wins just twice, in 1987 and 1988, with perhaps the greatest football running back of all time. Its other great season came in 1945, where Oklahoma State went a perfect 9-0 and won the Sugar Bowl, following up an 8-1 Cotton Bowl season.

But beyond that small handful of truly great years, Gundy delivers all of Oklahoma State's highest highs. Stillwater has also produced a remarkable amount of NFL talent: Barry Sanders, Dez Bryant, Tyreek Hill, and Kevin Williams; plus modern NFL contributors like Chuba Hubbard, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Teven Jenkins.

Oklahoma State joined the Big 8 in 1960 after years competing in the Missouri Valley and Southwest Conferences. The Cowboys boast one national title (1945), and have another unclaimed one under their belt (2011). They have two conference titles since joining the modern Big 12 (1976, 2011).

2023: Consistency Through Adversity

Nov 4, 2023; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II (0) celebrates with fans after a Bedlam college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports / Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports

The first month of the season was a brutal test of resilience for Oklahoma State. The Pokes beat FCS Central Arkansas just 27-13, snuck by Arizona State 27-15, then was blown out by South Alabama, 33-7. The follow week, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State and started the year 2-2. However, bye week adjustments – and returning a host of offensive linemen to the lineup – turned things around.

Oklahoma State won seven of its final eight regular season games, most importantly over arch-rival Oklahoma in, at the time, the final Bedlam on the schedule. RB Ollie Gordon exploded onto the scene as the nation's top running back, rushing for over 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore.

The season was topped with a trip to Arlington and a chance to compete for the Big 12 Championship. But those hopes were dashed by CFP semifinalist Texas. Oklahoma State closed the season out with a 31-23 win over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.

Oklahoma State Cowboys Offense Preview

Oct 21, 2023; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II (0) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Gordon returns to the team with a sure workload. Despite offseason issues, Gundy assured the presses – in a bizarre and controversial presser – that Gordon would still be the workhorse for the Pokes this season. Four starters from last year's offensive line return and a fifth starter, Arizona State's Isaia Glass, assumes the fifth spot. In total, only Iowa State returns more roster production overall than Oklahoma State (85%!).

QB Alan Bowman makes his return on his third college team for his seventh year. Last year, Bowman completed 61% of his 501 attempts for over 3,400 yards and 15 touchdowns; however, he also tossed 14 interceptions, including nine in his final five games. He presents a veteran leadership, but also an evident ceiling.

Bowman does have a talented cast of receivers to throw to. All-Big 12 selection Brennan Presley returns (991 yards, 6 TDs), as does Rashod Owens (895, 5). De'zhaun Stribling suffered a season-ending injury last season before the bye week and hopes to make an impact in 2024. These three give Oklahoma State one of the best receiving corps in the conference.

A tough start to the year dropped the Pokes' overall offensive numbers. They finished 59th in points per drive (PPD) scored. In losses, Oklahoma State averaged a paltry 14.5 points per game. In wins, that jumped to 35.6 – 39 points in wins after October 7. That unit should continue where it left off, especially after fully folding Gordon into the mix.

Oklahoma State Cowboys Defense Preview

Oct 14, 2023; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State's Collin Oliver (30) celebrates after a sack against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan J. Fish-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan J. Fish-USA TODAY Sports

At times, Oklahoma State's defense was stellar. At other times, it was dreadful. The aggregate of those performances produced a stop unit that finished a perfectly average 63rd in PPD. The defense capped Kansas State at 21 points and Oklahoma at 24. But it also allowed 45 to UCF, 34 to BYU (111th in scoring), and 49 in the Big 12 Championship to Texas; and, of course, 33 to South Alabama.

Star linebacker Collin Oliver leads a charge of returners that also includes breakout LB Nick Martin (140 tackles, sixth-most nationally). Tackling wasn't an issue – safeties Kendal Daniels and Trey Rucker also logged 100+ tackles each – it was largely pass defense.

Pass defense is two-fold: (a) do you have the defensive backs to cover opposing receivers, and (b) do you have a pass rush that makes sure those defensive backs don't have to cover opposing receivers for very long? The answer for 2024 is unknown.

Oliver logged 6 sacks, 9.5 TFLs and 9 more QB hits last year but, overall, the defensive front didn't generate a ton of pressure. The secondary presents a lot of unknown after a disappointing season. So long as those two units fail to improve or stand out, Oklahoma State's defense will continue to be inconsistent and prone to giving up explosive outings to offenses.

Best Case Scenario For Oklahoma State

Big 12: Oklahoma State's Brennan Presley (80) celebrates his touchdown in the first half against the Texas Longhorns. / Sarah Phipps / USA TODAY NETWORK

This team won 10 games – almost none in flukey fashion – and wound up in the Big 12 Championship despite a nightmarish start; should the Pokes have rolled from Week 1, we're probably talking about a 12-win team. That team returns the second-most roster production in the country and 20 of 22 starters on offense and defense. It returns its Heisman-caliber running back and veteran QB.

Most importantly, it returns Gundy, perhaps the most consistent coach relative to talent level in the entire country. That alone gives Oklahoma State an 8- or 9-win floor. Fold in all of the returners from a successful team, and it's easy to see where the optimism stems from.

The third piece to serious optimism – Big 12 title and CFP berth optimism – is the departure of Oklahoma and Texas. No program in the Big 12 has proven to be more of a consistent contender behind those two than Oklahoma State.

2024 could be the year it lines up for Oklahoma State. The Pokes have their best shot yet at a conference title. If not this year, it may never happen. Let's go over why...

Worst Case Scenario For Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State football head coach Mike Gundy walks of the field following the Big 12 Football Championship game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The first hurdle standing in Oklahoma State's way this season is the schedule, particularly early in the season. A non-conference trio of South Dakota State (still the FCS' best team by far despite departures), Arkansas (not a top-tier SEC team, but an SEC team nonetheless), and Tulsa (a regional rival the Pokes should roll, but play on the road). After that run, the Cowboys host Big 12 favorites Utah and Kansas State back-to-back (at K-State). Before going on bye, OKST hosts dangerous West Virginia, with WVU at a rest advantage coming off its bye.

In short, brutal. Beyond that, it's much easier going, but we don't have to remind anyone about Oklahoma State's propensity to under-perform off big wins (see: 2023 UCF, 2022 Kansas State, 2021 Iowa State...).

The other part the long-term outlook of Gundy and Oklahoma State. This past cycle, the Pokes signed their worst recruiting class ever, outdoing last year's low-water recruiting mark. They failed to land a superior QB in the portal to Bowman, both aging and injured. Those kinds of trends can point to a coach entering his final stretch.

After all, Gundy will be at the helm for 20 seasons this year. College coaches don't last forever. Perhaps the winds of change are blowing in, leading to concerns about 2025 and on. But 2024 should be a last hurrah for this group. The floor's been stated: 8 or 9 wins, even with this daunting schedule.

2024 Oklahoma State Cowboys Schedule

Date	Opponent
Aug. 31	South Dakota State (FCS)
Sept. 7	Arkansas
Sept. 14	at Tulsa
Sept. 21	Utah
Sept. 28	at Kansas State
Oct. 5	West Virginia
Oct. 12	BYE
Oct. 18 (Friday)	at BYU
Oct. 26	at Baylor
Nov. 2	Arizona State
Nov. 9	at TCU
Nov. 16	BYE
Nov. 23	Texas Tech
Nov. 30	at Colorado

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