Big 12 Breakdown and The Big Question For Each School : #12 Oklahoma State
By Cade Welty and Sean A Dillon
We’re breaking down the Big 12 as we get closer to the 2026 season. We’re breaking down each team getting closer and closer to #1. Today we look at Oklahoma State
#16 – Iowa State #15 – Colorado #14 – Kansas #13 – cincinnati
Oklahoma State: Can They Win Three Big 12 Games?
For Oklahoma State, the first benchmark for success in 2026 isn’t competing for a conference championship but simply proving the Cowboys can win again in the Big 12.
The program hit rock bottom in 2025, finishing 1-11 overall and 0-9 in conference play. The disappointing season ultimately led to the mid-season dismissal of long-time head coach Mike Gundy, ending one of the most successful coaching tenures as well as one of the most recognizable mullets in college football. The Cowboys haven’t won a Big 12 game since defeating BYU on November 25, 2023, a win that sent Oklahoma State to the Big 12 Championship Game. The losing streak carried into a second season without a Big 12 win, forcing Oklahoma State to make a move. The Cowboys responded with a bold one, hiring former UNT head coach and former Red Raider Eric Morris. He didn’t arrive alone, bringing much of his North Texas staff and roster with him in hopes of accelerating the rebuilding process in Stillwater.
Roster:
Several transfers are expected to play major roles immediately. Running back Caleb Hawkins, quarterback Drew Mestemaker who was voted as Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the year, an award that was won by Devon Dampier and David Bailey last season, and wide receiver Wyatt Young all arrive as proven offensive playmakers who could dramatically change the production of an offense that struggled throughout last season.
Big 12 Media Days:
Speaking during Big 12 Media Days, Morris made it clear he believes the turnaround can happen quickly.
“I have all the confidence in the world in myself, my staff and our players to get this thing turned back around.”
Throughout the day, Morris also emphasized the urgency surrounding the program’s rebuild, describing the situation in Stillwater as one that demanded immediate action.
“We needed a hard reset, it felt like.”
The challenge facing Oklahoma State is significant. The Cowboys enter the season carrying an 18-game conference losing streak in which they have been outscored by 345 points, leaving fans hoping the only thing they’re waving this fall is their shirts after a Big 12 win.
So what would qualify as progress?
Winning three Big 12 games would represent a dramatic step forward. Baylor and Kansas each finished with three conference victories last season, and on paper those rosters were very similar to what Oklahoma State brings into 2026. That doesn’t guarantee the Cowboys reach that mark, but it provides a realistic measuring stick for a program looking to climb out of the conference cellar. Those wins could be at home against UCF and Colorado and then on the road in Ames, Iowa taking on the Iowa State Cyclones. (We have underlined those games in the schedule below).
Three conference wins won’t put Oklahoma State back into the championship conversation, but after an 0-9 Big 12 season, it would be tangible proof that Eric Morris has the Cowboys headed in the right direction. In Stillwater, that’s exactly what success looks like in 2026 for the Cowboys.
Oklahoma State 2026 Football Schedule :
Conference Games *
9/5/2026, at Tulsa, Time : 2:45 P.M. CT
9/12/2026, Oregon, Time : 11:00 A.M. CT
9/19/2026, Murray State, Time : 6:00 P.M. CT
9/26/2026, at West Virginia *, Time : TBA
10/10/2026, UCF *, Time : TBA
10/17/2026, at Houston * , Time : TBA
10/24/2026, Colorado * , Time : TBA
10/31/2026, at Iowa State *, Time : TBA
11/7/2026, at Kansas State *, Time : TBA
11/14/2026, Texas Tech * , Time : TBA
11/21/2026, at Arizona State * , Time : TBA
11/28/2026, Kansas * , Time : TBA
Sean’s Thoughts:
Well, well, well… we finally get to North Texas-Stillwater, I mean Xerox U, I mean Oklahoma State. Why build a program when you can just Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V 90 newcomers, including 20 straight off the Mean Green roster? Sure, they brought talent, but newsflash: so did everyone sitting above them in the standings. And they aren’t far up the list from the bottom.
Their roster is full of holes an OSU Structural Engineer would be weeping. Their all-transfer offensive line looks like Swiss cheese, and unlike Swiss cheese, it won’t age well. Remember how I said yesterday that Kansas’s defense was vulnerable? OSU’s front looks equally exposed. The issue won’t be putting up points in Eric Morris’s Air Raid but whether Drew Mestemaker is screaming for a medic before November 1st.
I’m confident they’ll finally break that Big 12 drought, but pump the brakes Cowboys faithful. Don’t go ordering your Big 12 Championship tickets just yet, because this ‘hard reset’ is going to look more like a slow reboot on a computer running Windows Vista.