How Can Oklahoma State Make Big 12 Championship Next Season?

Oklahoma State won only three games last season, but a resurgence could be on the horizon.

After a disastrous 2024 season that saw the Cowboys go winless in conference play, they made many changes in the offseason to ensure a much better 2025. With new coordinators and staff joining a drastically different roster under Mike Gundy, the Cowboys could be in for an interesting fall.

Most analysts around the country project the Cowboys to be in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 or in the bottom half of the standings. With so many changes, it makes some sense that the Cowboys might struggle to adjust and would have a relatively mediocre season.

However, OSU’s goal isn’t simply to be mediocre, even if it’s a rebuilding year. After making the Big 12 Championship in 2021 and 2023, the Cowboys are used to competing with the best in the conference.

So, what has to happen for the Cowboys to be in that discussion again in 2025?

A few things obviously need to go OSU’s way. Sure, it likely won’t win at Oregon in Week 2, even if a dream season is in store. Despite that, OSU needs to be competitive in Eugene.

Leaving the Pacific Northwest at 1-1 seems like a formality, but a relatively tight contest there could give OSU some momentum as conference play approaches. 

In terms of Big 12 play, the Cowboys likely need to be nearly flawless in terms of wins and losses, which might be in play if they could show they are near the level of Oregon. Even if the Cowboys get blown out in Eugene, it won’t be a big blow to their conference title chances. 

OSU had back-to-back losses to South Alabama and Iowa State before making the conference title game in 2023, after all. Going off the past couple of years, OSU needs to hit seven conference wins and get some key wins against other contenders to earn tiebreakers or knock those teams out of the conference title picture entirely.

Maybe an Ollie Gordon will break out like in 2023 or one side will become an incredible force like the defense in 2021. There are so many avenues to winning, and the Cowboys simply need to find one next season to get back to Arlington. Of course, they never found a single one in 2024, and that could be looming over them throughout next season.