Oklahoma State could be right where it wants to be.
Last year, the Cowboys entered football season as a favorite to win the Big 12 and vie for a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. Perhaps no other team in the country had a worse season with respect to expectations, as OSU went 3-9 and failed to even win a conference game.
That horrid performance in 2024 led the Cowboys to make significant changes, which nearly included a change at head coach. Yet, as Mike Gundy enters his 21st season at the helm with a plethora of new assistants and a small amount of returning production, he could be set for one of his most exciting projects.
While last season was already stressful with the expectations laid upon the Cowboys, failing to meet those to such a large degree only added to it. Going into 2025, OSU has low expectations and doesn’t necessarily need to focus on wins and losses to the same degree.
Obviously, the Cowboys will still be judged by their final record, but the journey to get to whatever that mark is will be the true mark of how successful the season is. With so many new moving parts, from implementing Doug Meacham’s offense to integrating new transfers, the Cowboys and Gundy will have no shortage of opportunities to have a fresh start of sorts.
Along with naturally lower expectations and a plethora of new things for the Cowboys to endure, they will also have a chance to play free, which has often been a theme of Gundy’s overperforming teams. Even as recently as 2023, OSU looked refreshed and free after losses to South Alabama and Iowa State, which eventually led it to a spot in the Big 12 Championship.
Still, that team entered the season looking to continue the streaks of winning seasons and bowl appearances, a burden the 2025 squad won’t have. Instead, the Cowboys will get to try just about anything they want over the course of the season as they usher in a new era of Gundy’s tenure.
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