How Oklahoma State Cowboys Firing Mike Gundy Impacts Iowa State Cyclones

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The college football world, including the Iowa State Cyclones, was delivered a bombshell on Tuesday afternoon when it was announced that the Oklahoma State Cowboys were firing head coach Mike Gundy.

“College football has changed drastically in the last few years, and the investment needed to compete at the highest level has never been more important,” athletic director Chad Weiberg said in a news release. “As we search for the next head coach of Cowboy Football, we are looking for someone who can lead our program in this new era.”

It is a position that he has held with the team since 2005. He was in his 21st season at the helm of the program, for which he played quarterback from 1986 to 1989. A backfield was shared with the legendary Barry Sanders for three seasons before he took his talents to the NFL with the Detroit Lions.

Gundy has spent 35 out of the last 40 years with Oklahoma State in some capacity. Whether it was as a player, assistant coach or head coach, he has been one of the most recognizable Cowboys for four decades. Alas, that tenure is coming to an end.

Mike Gundy out as Oklahoma State head coach

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He had a 170-90 record with Oklahoma State with one Big 12 title. Only two losing seasons occurred under his watch: 2005 and 2024, his first and last full seasons as head coach.

The writing was on the wall about his future when rumors swirled that he could be fired last winter. After a brutal 3-9 campaign, he was able to win a standoff after going winless in conference play. He took a pay cut and the coaching staff under him changed. Alas, it wasn’t enough to change the on-field results.

The Cowboys are 1-2 thus far this season. They defeated the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks in their opener, but have been brutal since. The Oregon Ducks destroyed them 69-3 in the third-worst margin of defeat in school history. A loss to in-state rival, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, was the final straw.

It was the first time the Cowboys had lost to the Golden Hurricane for the first time since 1998. The last time Tulsa went into Stillwater and won was 1951.

Iowa State will benefit from Mike Gundy being fired

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bigHow does this have an impact on Iowa State? For starters, they are most likely going to be facing off against an interim head coach in their final regular-season game. On Nov. 29, the Cyclones will be paying a visit to Boone Pickens Stadium. 

Based on how things have gone through the first month of the season, that matchup is trending toward being a lot more important for Iowa State than Oklahoma State. If the Cyclones catch a Cowboys team that is just going through the motions, looking to get to the end of the year with players already planning a departure in the transfer portal, it can only help their odds of coming away with a win.

Iowa State will certainly be happy to see Gundy ride off into the sunset. Under him, Oklahoma State had an 11-5 record against the Cyclones. They were virtually impossible to beat at Boone Pickens Stadium, where Gundy held a 6-1 record over Iowa State.