Head coach Mike Gundy looks at the score board during an Oklahoma State spring football showcase at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 19, 2025. NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mixed Expectations Could Benefit Oklahoma State

Originally posted on Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI
By Ivan White | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 1:15 PM ET

Oklahoma State has been one of the most polarizing teams of the offseason, and it could work in the Pokes’ favor.

Over the past few weeks, national outlets have begun looking ahead to the 2025 college football season. With the second season of the 12-team playoff upon us, there should be even more intrigue and chaos now that we know what to expect under this new format.

Of course, everything about this relatively new era of college football has made the game even tougher to predict. From NIL to the transfer portal to revenue sharing, college sports have changed drastically in just the past half-decade.

Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Still, college football is only a few weeks away, and everyone wants to know how their favorite team should look when the season begins. Considering the general chaos of college football in 2025, it becomes nearly impossible to predict how teams that aren’t clear-cut contenders will play next season.

OSU falls right into that category. Coming off a three-win season, the Cowboys are looking to bounce back and make their way back to a bowl game for the 19th time in 20 seasons.

Of course, that will be easier said than done. For the Cowboys to get back to the postseason, they will need everyone to gel quickly and get some luck to fall in their favor along the way.

Endless possibilities

Looking at some of the predictions for the Cowboys next season, most folks seem to believe that the Pokes should be in the middle to bottom tier of the Big 12. While everything on paper seems to look that way, it would be far from the first time that OSU’s looks on paper aren’t as good as what the product on the field ends up being.

However, even those who have shown some optimism about OSU in 2025 aren’t exactly sure about the team itself. Instead, those predictions almost all stem from the idea that Mike Gundy won’t have another bad year.

Gundy certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt after suffering only his second losing season in 20 years at a program that was known for losing throughout its history. With Gundy’s renewed willingness to adapt to this era of college sports, the Cowboys could be in a great spot next season.

Winning the winnable games and getting some upsets will be the key for OSU next season, but one of the most underrated pieces for the Cowboys will be their lack of expectations and pressure.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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