A Look at Oklahoma State's Success in the Four-Team Playoff Era
The four-team playoff era is over, but Oklahoma State had a memorable 10-year run.
The first 10 seasons of the College Football Playoff happened between 2014-23 and produced some of the best moments in the history of the sport. Although OSU never cracked the top four in that stretch, it had plenty of notable games and seasons.
In the four-team playoff era, Mike Gundy’s team was among the most successful in the country, going 89-41. Including five 10-win seasons, OSU never missed a bowl game and was consistently in contention for the Big 12 Championship.
The first game of the playoff era for OSU was indicative of how the era would go. After playing reigning national champions, No. 1 Florida State, close all game, JW Walsh’s late fumble led to OSU’s loss in the season opener.
Throughout the past decade, OSU has had two seasons where it narrowly missed a playoff appearance. The closest of those came in 2021 when OSU was likely inches away from a playoff bid.
With an 11-1 record and sitting at No. 5 in the CFP rankings, the Cowboys may have been a Big 12 Championship away from jumping Cincinnati. All that stood in their way was a matchup with Baylor.
After beating Baylor earlier that season, OSU looked lost in the Big 12 title game but had an opportunity in the final minutes. Dezmon Jackson’s dive at the goal line came up short, and so did OSU’s best playoff hopes.
Before the Cowboys’ 12-win campaign in 2021, they had their first CFP opportunity in 2015. That season, the Cowboys began 10-0 with two home games against Baylor and Oklahoma to end the regular season.
OSU lost both games with injuries catching up with the team. OSU had some other solid seasons, but it never had a legitimate playoff chance in late November outside of those two.
The Cowboys did have high hopes going into a few seasons that went awry. Among those were 2017 and 2022, both seasons that began with promise but fell apart as they went along.
Yet, 2023 may have been the most interesting season for OSU in the four-team playoff era. Early losses to South Alabama and Iowa State fueled doubts that OSU would make a bowl game. Instead, Ollie Gordon II had a breakout season and led the team to a 10-win season.
As the Cowboys head into 2024, they hope to begin the 12-team playoff era with one of their best seasons.
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