Burning Questions for Oklahoma State's First Game After Firing Mike Gundy

Oklahoma State is set for the first game of a new era, and there are plenty of questions to be answered.

The Cowboys are set for action against Baylor this weekend in the Big 12 opener. Along with OSU looking for its first FBS win in over a year, it will be playing its first game without Mike Gundy as head coach since 2004.

Burning questions for Oklahoma State’s Big 12 opener vs. Baylor:

Will Mike Gundy’s firing give the Cowboys a boost or kill the energy?

OSU football and Gundy had been inseparable until Tuesday, and now this team must move forward in an unprecedented era in Stillwater. While Gundy was still able to address the team after his firing and urged his players to finish the year the right way, there’s no avoiding the fact that there were mixed emotions in the aftermath.

A fired coach bump happens in sports all the time, but this is a bit of a different situation. Gundy was clearly loved by most of OSU’s roster, and it will take some time to process the situation, so Saturday could easily be about playing for Gundy, but it could also be a display of why not to fire a coach a few days before the conference opener.

Is Doug Meacham a real option for head coach?

This question won’t necessarily get answered against Baylor, but it could certainly show how serious a candidate he could be moving forward. The Cowboys are ready to start their coaching search, but if Meacham has interest in the job and can put on a good performance over the next several weeks, he could will his way into the discussion.

Beyond being a real option for the permanent job, Meacham needs to show he was the right person for the interim title. Being the first person to lead the program after the Gundy era, even in a temporary role, can’t be easy. Still, with someone who has been around OSU as long as Meacham and had a lengthy coaching career, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to take on this responsibility.

How will fans react to the news?

The past few days have been filled with mixed emotions from the OSU fanbase, but athletic director Chad Weiberg has been adamant about needing the support of fans. However, he’s also been clear that firing Gundy had nothing to do with trying to save this season.

It was time for Gundy and OSU to part ways after his two decades as head coach, but to do so in the middle of a season that it seems the program has given up on puts fans in an interesting situation. After filling the stadium for a Friday night loss against Tulsa, there is no shortage of outcomes for what Saturday’s Big 12 opener could feature.