Oklahoma State Desperate to Get Win Against FBS Opponent

Oklahoma State has been in a rough patch lately, and it desperately needs to come out on top on Friday night.

OSU is coming off its first bye week of the 2025 season, and it was one the program desperately needed. Of course, that’s because the Cowboys were coming off a 69-3 loss at Oregon in Week 2, which marked the largest margin of defeat in the Mike Gundy era. 

With the Cowboys set to host Tulsa on Friday night, there is a chance that OSU could right the ship a bit with conference play looming. As a double-digit favorite against the Golden Hurricane, the Cowboys will need to apply some pressure early and avoid letting Tre Lamb’s group stick in the game.

With OSU’s only win this season coming against FCS squad UT Martin, beating Tulsa would hand the Cowboys their first win over an FBS opponent in over a year. Although OSU won this matchup 45-10 last season and is expected to get another win in 2025, the Turnpike Classic has some extra meaning this season.

What a win would mean for the Cowboys

Ultimately, a win over Tulsa would mean everything and nothing for OSU. Under Gundy, the Cowboys have typically been a competitor in the Big 12 title race, but those days appear to be long gone.

Still, with Tulsa being the only rival on OSU’s schedule, this win could propel the program in some ways. Of course, it’s not exactly a typical rivalry, considering there is almost no animosity from either side outside of head-to-head matchups.

With last season’s win against Tulsa being the most recent FBS win for the Cowboys, they need to get back on the board in that department on Friday. It would also be a nice way for OSU to put its disastrous loss against Oregon behind it and get ready to begin conference play against Baylor next week.

On the other hand, a win over Tulsa won’t mean much because it never means much. OSU and Tulsa have been on different tiers for decades, with the Cowboys dominating the series at every turn in the Gundy era. Beating the Golden Hurricane has been the expectation in Stillwater for so long that a loss is the only thing that could truly make Friday’s matchup have meaningful consequences.

In any case, the Cowboys simply need to get the win and avoid a losing record going into Big 12 play.