Could Oklahoma State Spoil Brett Yormark's Big 12 Playoff Hopes?

Oklahoma State is one of the most interesting teams in college football, and it could make life difficult for the rest of the Big 12.

Going into the 2025 season, Mike Gundy’s team is expected to be among the worst in the conference. After winning only three games last season and failing to win a single conference matchup, the Cowboys are projected to struggle to even make a bowl game next season.

While there are some reasons to be optimistic about the Cowboys in 2025, there is almost no situation where OSU will be in the Big 12 title conversation or the College Football Playoff race coming off a 3-9 campaign. Despite the fact that OSU won’t be in those discussions, the Cowboys could still play a significant role in them.

At Big 12 Media Days, commissioner Brett Yormark said that he believes the conference should have multiple teams in the College Football Playoff next season. After Arizona State was the Big 12’s only bid in 2024, the conference was the only Power Four conference with only one team selected. 

While OSU might not be on the shortlist of Big 12 teams expected to compete for a spot in the 12-team field, many potential contenders are on the Cowboys’ upcoming schedule. Along with a nonconference battle against Oregon, the Cowboys should have no shortage of opponents that enter next season with the intention of making the College Football Playoff.

While parity is one of the strengths of the Big 12, if Yormark’s vision of multiple teams from the conference making the playoff is going to come true, some teams will need to truly stand out above the rest. Although OSU has typically been a great team under Gundy, a loss to the 2025 Cowboys could be a massive blow to any team’s playoff hopes.

Of the six Big 12 teams with the best odds of making the College Football Playoff, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, OSU will play four of them next season. If the Cowboys could knock off any of Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Tech or Iowa State next season, they could be the deciding factor in how many Big 12 teams make the playoff.

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