Cowboys' Nonconference Slate Could Sneakily Determine OSU's Direction

Oklahoma State’s 2025 season likely won’t be defined by the preseason, but it could be.

Going into next season, the Cowboys are among the many teams in the Big 12 expected to be within a game or two of bowl eligibility when November creeps up. After losing nine games last season, a .500 year would be a positive in Stillwater.

Of course, OSU’s nine-loss campaign in 2024 was thanks to its 0-9 record in conference play. After dropping a couple of games against projected Big 12 contenders, things never got better for the Cowboys in an abysmal year.

So, going into this season, the Cowboys are looking to turn things around, and all eyes are on Big 12 play. The Pokes not only lost every Big 12 game last season, but also many of those losses were uncompetitive.

OSU must give itself a chance in its conference matchups and hope some of its tight losses from last season can turn into close wins in 2025. If all goes well, the Cowboys should be able to slide into a bowl game and try and start another streak of postseason appearances and winning records after an 18-year streak was broken in 2024.

However, there is still a chance that it will actually be nonconference play that defines what OSU’s season might look like. While a win over UT Martin in the season opener is inevitable, OSU has a couple of likely lopsided contests to follow, with almost everyone expecting a blowout loss at Oregon and a blowout back at home against Tulsa.

Of course, the outlook of OSU’s season could change drastically if either of those matchups has a different final result. An OSU win in Eugene could mean that the Cowboys are better than anticipated and could even be a legitimate factor in the Big 12 title race.

Meanwhile, if OSU follows a loss at Oregon with another letdown against Tulsa, the goal of making a bowl game might begin to seem overly ambitious, especially if there’s a 1-2 start after a three-win season.

In any case, the conference slate will still ultimately determine how the Cowboys’ season goes, but a wild result in nonconference play could turn OSU’s season in a firm direction before the team kicks off against Big 12 competition.