Oklahoma State entered the season with hopes of winning its first Big 12 title, but a stacked division and a brutal schedule have rendered that dream unattainable. It’s not too late, however, for the Cowboys to achieve their winningest season in 20 years.
Already eliminated from contention for the conference title, the 11th-ranked Cowboys look to bounce back from a lopsided defeat and improve their standing for bowl season when they visit Colorado on Saturday night.
Oklahoma State players have been wearing wristbands that read “Big 12 Champs” since the preseason, but their chances of representing the deep Big 12 South in the conference title game are over after last week’s 56-20 loss to No. 2 Texas Tech.
The Cowboys (8-2, 4-2) could conceivably finish tied atop the division, but would lose tiebreakers to go to the Big 12 championship game.
Though they’re disappointed that their initial goal for the season is out of reach, the Cowboys can still call this a successful year, particularly if they finish strong. With wins over Colorado and archrival Oklahoma in its final two games, Oklahoma State can record its first 10-win season since 1988, when Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy.
The Cowboys are also in line for a high-profile bowl bid, perhaps even their first BCS berth if everything falls just right over the next several weeks.
“You start the season with certain goals, and then as long as you can keep your sights on those goals, they stay focused and in the right frame of mind,” coach Mike Gundy said. “If a goal changes, that’s not what you wanted but it’s OK.”
The latest challenge for Gundy’s team is to look past last week’s loss and be ready to face a Colorado team the Cowboys are expected to beat.
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