Would Oklahoma State Crack Top 25 With Win at Oregon?

Oklahoma State is set for one of its biggest games of the season on Saturday, and it could propel the program dramatically.

After beating UT Martin in Week 1 to secure their first win in nearly a year, the Cowboys are set to head to Oregon on Saturday to face one of the top teams in the country. Currently sitting as a four-touchdown underdog against the Ducks, the odds are certainly stacked against the Cowboys, but there is some hope that this game could prove OSU belongs in the Big 12 title conversation.

For OSU, winning this game could almost entirely erase the sting of last season’s three-win performance. Of course, there would be a long way to go, but this would be the program’s first signature win since Bedlam in 2023. 

While the Pokes didn’t look especially impressive in their win over UT Martin, a win over Oregon might also be able to boost the Cowboys into the AP Top 25. At some point in each of the past 18 years, the Cowboys have secured a spot in the top 25, and entering this season, it has seemed like a bit of a long shot to keep that streak going. 

Obviously, those rankings have come in different forms over the years, with OSU being unranked to begin its 12-win 2021 year and making an appearance in the top 15 before losing nine straight in 2024. Still, this game against Oregon could almost certainly push the Cowboys into next week’s AP poll.

However, the Pokes didn’t even receive a vote in Tuesday’s poll, which comes after an action-packed Week 1. The Big 12 also didn’t fare well in general, with No. 12 Arizona State leading the conference’s four selections, followed by No. 16 Iowa State, No. 24 Texas Tech and No. 25 Utah.

While Ohio State’s rise to No. 1 and Alabama’s drop to No. 21 stole the spotlight, there are plenty of other takeaways, including Oregon’s slight jump to No. 6.

The Ducks will be the first AP top 10 team OSU has faced since falling to No. 7 Texas in the 2023 Big 12 Championship. The Ducks are also the highest-ranked squad OSU has faced since beating No. 5 Notre Dame in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. Bedlam in 2023 was OSU’s last win over a top 10 opponent, with the Sooners entering that game at No. 10.

In the Mike Gundy era, OSU has beaten six teams ranked in the AP top six, but the Cowboys’ 2018 Homecoming win against No. 6 Texas was the only one that featured OSU as an unranked team. Still, if the Cowboys can overcome the odds and add Saturday’s game at Oregon to that list, it will be hard to leave OSU out of next week’s ranking.