Battle of Big 12 Heavyweights a Reminder of Oklahoma State's Status
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Oklahoma State is nowhere near the Big 12 title race, but this weekend features the biggest game of the season in the conference.
Over the past couple of years, OSU has gone from a team expected to contend for a Big 12 title almost every year to a team that has established itself as one of the worst in the FBS. Firmly sitting in 16th in the Big 12 again in 2025, the Cowboys have been awful throughout the season, losing every Big 12 game by at least 17 points.
With no real hope left this season and only three more games on the schedule, OSU is simply counting down the days until the offseason. Of course, the rest of the Big 12 is in the midst of a conference title race that could easily come down to the final weekend.
While there’s a chance the title game is set going into the regular season’s final week, this weekend’s matchup will play a huge part in determining who heads to Arlington. On Saturday, No. 8 Texas Tech will host No. 7 BYU in a battle of the Big 12’s two best teams.
With the matchup on ABC, it appears that all eyes should be on the Big 12 this weekend. Not only will the winner pave a much more straightforward path to the Big 12 title, but a College Football Playoff berth will also be much easier to grab.
With OSU having a bye week, it seems likely that some within the program will be tuning into this game. While it should be easy to simply enjoy the high-level football being played in Lubbock, it will also be a reminder of where the Cowboys are and where they need to be.
Just last season, OSU hosted Utah in a top 15 matchup to begin conference play in a game that most expected to have significant implications on the Big 12 championship. Of course, both teams were awful and couldn’t even make a bowl game.
Yet, that was the most recent time OSU was in the spotlight in a big game. Just 14 months later, it seems unfathomable for the Cowboys to be playing in a game with stakes like the one in Lubbock this weekend.
Throughout Mike Gundy’s tenure, OSU was consistently a part of some of the Big 12’s biggest games, and this weekend should be a reminder of how far the Cowboys have to climb with their new coach to get back in the spotlight.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.