Oklahoma State was among the worst teams in the country last season, but it has an outside shot at being one of the best next season.
OSU’s key to building its roster this offseason was gathering players who had seen limited opportunity but showcased talent at larger schools and players who had shown they needed a step up in competition to match their level of play. While every team around the country has players who meet those descriptions, the Cowboys have been aggressive in getting who they think is the right fit at each position.
Moving forward, OSU’s expectations will be high. Of course, that has been the case for the majority of the Mike Gundy era, and he is looking to potentially usher in the most successful stretch of Cowboy football as the program adapts to the NIL and transfer portal era.
Add in the fact that the Cowboys still have plenty of promising young players returning to play larger roles next season, and OSU might have found the perfect mix of talent development and acquisition. OSU isn’t guaranteed to have success next season or even make a bowl game after its 3-9 season, but the Cowboys are following a formula that has resulted in some of the most drastic one-year turnarounds and could even push them into a College Football Playoff spot.
Sure, it seems absurd that this OSU team could be among the 12 best in the country and compete for a Big 12 title after last season’s fiasco. However, the Cowboys have shown they can perform at their best when they are doubted most.
Although it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Gundy, his teams have risen to the occasion when folks don’t expect much to happen in Stillwater. While many are counting out the Cowboys now, there has been so much turnover that it’s nearly impossible to make a good prediction about what OSU will look like next season.
The Cowboys could get an early boost to their championship hopes if they can pull off the upset at Oregon in Week 2. OSU has been hellbent on turning things around this offseason, and it might have been just enough to push the Cowboys to the other end of the college football landscape entirely.
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