Burning Questions for Oklahoma State's Matchup Against K-State

The Cowboys and Wildcats will be in action for an early kickoff this weekend.

Nov 1, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Zane Flores (6) drops back to pass during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is set for another Big 12 battle, and it has some questions to answer after a bye week.

After a bye week, OSU will be hosting Kansas State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium. While the Pokes are still searching for their first Big 12 win, this week could be the perfect opportunity to finally get that elusive conference victory.

Burning questions for OSU against Kansas State:

Can Zane Flores build on his performance at Kansas?

While the Cowboys will be coming off a bye week, they will be hoping that their quarterback can carry some of the momentum he built a couple of weeks ago. Going into the bye week, the Cowboys went to Lawrence for a matchup against Kansas.

Although that result was the same as most others for the Pokes this season, Flores shined in his first game back from injury. In easily the best performance of his young career, Flores completed 22 of his 28 passes for 235 yards and threw the first two touchdowns of his career.

As OSU hopes Flores can be a quarterback it can build around moving forward, continuing that impressive play will be critical.

How will OSU’s crowd look?

The Cowboys will be back in Boone Pickens Stadium for the first time in nearly a month, and not much has changed for the Pokes since they last played in front of their home crowd. While the Cowboys’ crowd showed out for homecoming in the last home game, another couple of losses combined with an 11 a.m. kickoff could make for a nonexistent home-field advantage in Stillwater.

On the other hand, fan interest is rising rapidly in winter sports, and the Cowboys could benefit from fans having some OSU fever after watching basketball and wrestling start their seasons hot. 

Can the Cowboys keep this one close?

After a solid-ish performance in Lubbock defensively and an all-around solid outing throughout the first half in Lawrence, the Cowboys looked to be building something toward the end of the year. Of course, their bye week could impact that momentum in a variety of ways.

With the Wildcats coming into town still looking to become bowl eligible and playing some of their best football of the season, it’s safe to say that this game won’t be easy for the Cowboys. Still, if OSU can continue to show it’s improved over the past few weeks, playing this one at home could help keep the Cowboys in it for most of the afternoon.

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