Oklahoma State Must Overcome Mental Hurdle of 2024 Season

For the first time in nearly 20 years, Oklahoma State is coming off a losing season, and it can’t let that get in the way of turning things around.

Last season, OSU was among the worst teams in all of college football. The Cowboys managed to win only three games and finished the year on a nine-game losing streak.

After losing every Big 12 matchup, the Pokes clearly had some work to do in the offseason. While most of OSU’s departures were expected, a few big names leaving through the transfer portal certainly didn’t help the Cowboys. 

Still, the biggest offseason moves revolved around the coaching staff. While Mike Gundy avoided the hot seat, his coordinators and most of the rest of the coaching staff were replaced over the winter.

That leaves the Cowboys with an almost entirely new coaching staff and a significantly different roster. While there are still some familiar names on the OSU roster, it’s hard to find many similarities to last year’s squad.

Considering last season featured a three-win campaign, that isn’t a bad thing. However, the Cowboys need to get over the mental hurdle of coming off a three-win year.

Sure, Gundy has already cleared the air on the team not using last season as motivation, thanks in no small part to the fact that most of this squad wasn’t even in Stillwater last season. While it might be difficult for the newcomers to use last season as motivation, OSU’s 2024 season will still apply pressure to everyone in Stillwater, including those who were on a different team watching it unfold from the outside looking in.

If the Cowboys can start the season well and get a Big 12 victory early, it should be easy to put last season behind them and simply write their own chapter in 2025. However, if the Cowboys are thoroughly outmatched at Oregon and drop the first game or two of Big 12 play, the noise will be impossible to keep out.

OSU made these massive changes in the offseason to see massive changes on the field, and with so much investment in the 2025 roster, there will be some pressure to see good results early. If the Cowboys stumble out of the gates, they will need to recover quickly, or 2024 might not be a fluke.