Oklahoma State's Nonconference Slate Could Hurt Cowboys Next Season

Oklahoma State could be left with regrets about its nonconference schedule.

OSU is set to enter the 2025 season as one of the top bounce-back candidates in the country. While many aren’t necessarily sold on the Cowboys’ improvement for 2025, it would be a tall task to perform worse than they did last year.

In 2024, OSU went 3-9 and failed to win a conference game after entering the season as one of the favorites to win the Big 12 and compete for a College Football Playoff spot. With a revamped roster and almost entirely new coaching staff coming into 2025, OSU’s drastically different look could yield drastically different results.

While kickoff is still three months away, the beginning of OSU’s season could be a cause for concern. Last season, OSU had a challenging and generally balanced nonconference schedule. OSU hosted South Dakota State and Arkansas before going to Tulsa to face the Golden Hurricane.

However, this season’s early slate will look far different. OSU begins its season with a three-game stretch against UT Martin, Oregon and Tulsa. While that slate looks like a typical-ish nonconferene schedule on the surface, the quirks involved in OSU’s first three contests could leave the Cowboys in a worse spot heading into Big 12 play.

The only truly challenging game before conference play will come when OSU visits Oregon in Week 2. Of course, given the state of OSU and Oregon coming off a season where it was No. 1 for a large portion of the year, it might be too challenging for the Cowboys.

Meanwhile, OSU’s first home game will be on a Thursday night against UT Martin, and the Cowboys’ nonconference finale will feature a Friday night kickoff against Tulsa. Add in OSU having one of its two bye weeks in between its games against Oregon and Tulsa, and this is a potentially disastrous nonconference slate.

With the two easily winnable games coming on weeknights, and OSU taking a trip in Week 2 for what could be its toughest game in years, the Cowboys are doing nothing in the nonconference schedule to prepare them for the Big 12. When conference play begins, the Cowboys will be facing teams mostly around their level of play on Saturdays. 

None of OSU’s matchups meet that criteria before the Big 12 schedule begins, and it could also be in for a rude awakening when it has to face nine conference opponents in 10 weeks without any decent preparation.