2025 Season Set to Play Significant Role in Cowboys' Big 12 Future

Oklahoma State’s status in the Big 12 might not hinge on 2025, but it could certainly shape the next few years.

Last season was an undeniable disaster for OSU, going 3-9 and losing every conference game. Despite failing to beat a Big 12 opponent, OSU was still viewed as a program capable of bouncing back with Mike Gundy at the helm.

After all, it was only the second time in 20 years that a Gundy squad had failed to make a bowl game. Plus, going into the offseason, it was clear OSU was ready to enter a new era and make some significant changes.

While those changes didn’t extend to Gundy, he still was tasked with bringing in some new coordinators and an almost entirely new coaching staff alongside them. Add in the largest transfer class in OSU history, and there was almost nothing recognizable about the Cowboys when 2025 kicked off.

Coming into this season, there was some general lenience when judging the state of the program. OSU was coming off a three-win season and had so many new pieces to integrate that it will naturally take time for the Pokes to come together.

Although a 27-7 win against FCS squad UT Martin didn’t necessarily cause much panic, a 69-3 loss against Oregon certainly led to some alarms going off in Stillwater. While entering as a four-touchdown underdog was bad enough, failing to even be competitive for a single minute has already changed the attitude for this season.

Assuming OSU can continue its success against Tulsa, it will enter Big 12 play at 2-1, needing four wins to earn a trip to a bowl game. That seemed like a formality in past years, but it will be a struggle this season if the first two weeks are any indication.

That could also mean the Pokes’ spot in the Big 12 hierarchy is on the line moving forward. Even though the Cowboys were viewed as one of the worst teams in the conference coming into this season, there was at least some hope that Gundy and company had the program heading into the right direction.

However, another failure in conference play could set up the Cowboys for a spot at the bottom of the Big 12 for the foreseeable future. With Gundy’s exit seemingly inevitable if OSU has another losing season, any benefit of the doubt OSU might get moving forward would be erased.

Sure, this season might not be a year for the Cowboys to contend for anything, but it could play a significant role in their ability to contend at any level in the near future.