5 Things We'll Learn About Oklahoma State in First Month of 2026 Season
In this story:
There is so much change at Oklahoma State that one can be excused for not being able to keep up with it all.
A new head coach in Eric Morris. A new staff that followed him from North Texas. Nearly 90 new transfers. A new attitude. A new outlook.
The first month will feature a road trip to Tulsa on Sept, a huge home opener with Oregon on Sept. 12, a home game with Murray State on Sept. 19 and the Big 12 opener at West Virginia on Sept. 26. Here are five things we’ll learn about the Cowboys during those first four games.
How Competitive Will Cowboys Be with Oregon?
While the West Virginia game is more important given that it’s the league opener and the Cowboys haven’t won a league game in 2023, the game everyone is focused on is Oregon. It’s not often OSU gets a national championship contender to come to Stillwater for a non-conference game.
This is a measuring stick contest. Few expect the Cowboys to win. But the question most Oklahoma State fans will be asking is how close OSU can make the game? Last season the Cowboys lost by 66 points. The margin, and how the game unfolds, may determine how good OSU fans feel about the rest of the season. It will also be a measure of how much progress Morris and his staff made this offseason.
Can The Mean Green Transfers Hang?
Nearly 20 of Morris’ players from UNT followed him to Stillwater. Several of them were high performers in Denton, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, wide receiver Wyatt Young and linebacker Ethan Wesloski. Mestemaker led the country in passing yards. Hawkins was the country’s best freshman running back. Young and Wesloski were all-conference performers.
Cowboys fans will be interested to see how that talent translates to a power conference. Will the quartet continue to put up great numbers, or will they struggle early to produce? And if it’s the latter, is that a sign that they’ll be slower to adjust to the move up the ladder than anticipated?
Can Eric Morris Handle Early Pressure?
Morris has coached in the Big 12 before, albeit as an assistant at Texas Tech. He’s led program at Incarnate Word and North Texas. He’s coached in the FCS playoffs and led the Mean Green to an American Conference championship game last season. that’s all great. But he’s in a big boy chair now — and it’s not the one Mike Leach sat in at Washington State, the one Morris claimed as his own as a coordinator.
The Oregon game will be the biggest game he’s handled as a head coach — yes even bigger than the Tulane loss last year. There will be pressure to beat West Virginia to end the 18-game Big 12 losing streak. Can he handle it? And can he handle it at a high level? Fans will get some early returns after a month.
Will Oklahoma State Fans Buy In?
Last year Cowboys fans ignited a craze with its “shirtless section” during home games that has now become a national craze with “tarps off.” But Morris wants to put a stop to it. It’s not because he doesn’t appreciate the energy. He’d rather fans be energized by the Cowboys winning games than by being bored with the on-field product.
Athletic department leadership will get an early gauge with the two home games. Naturally, the Oregon game will be sold out. The more intriguing game will be Murray State the following week. Win or lose, will the fan base show up? Athletic director Chad Weiberg will want to know.
Can Skyler Cassity Scheme Defensively at This Level?
Cassity did a great job improving the North Texas defense last year. The Mean Green went from an awful unit to a solid unit a season ago and he’s been entrusted to do it again with the Cowboys in 2026. Oklahoma State was one of the worst defenses in college football and was near the bottom in scoring defense.
The expectation is that the OSU defense will give up plenty of points against Oregon. It might be best to assess his work in the other three games. If he and the defense come out of the first four games allowing 20 points per fewer per game, then Cassity and the Cowboys may be on to something.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
Follow PostinsPostcard