Can Murray State Actually Threaten Oklahoma State Football Next Season?

The Oklahoma State Cowboys probably see the Murray State Racers as an easy game. But can the MVFC school give OSU issues?

Oklahoma State football player KD Jones. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just about every school in FBS plays at least one every year. In the business, it's called a money game.

Power conference schools will pay a Group of 6 or FCS school a significant fee to come play at their place. The road team uses the money to help fund their athletic department, and some of those schools need that money. The home team, theoretically, gets what on paper looks like an easy game to sell tickets, concessions and get fans out to the stadium.

Oklahoma State has one of those games this year. The Cowboys host the Murray State Racers on Sept. 19. Sure, the Cowboys want to tune up the roster before Big 12 play, and this can be a great way to do it. For the Racers, it’s a paycheck game. But occasionally these games become something more.

Can Murray State Actually Threaten Oklahoma State?

Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ever since Appalachian State, then an FCS power, went into the “Big House” in Ann Arbor, Mich., and beat the Michigan Wolverines in 2007, these games have always provided an element of intrigue. These schools don't play each other often. The perception is that the bigger school has every advantage and the smaller school doesn't have enough talent and resources to win. Occasionally, the script flips.

For both Oklahoma State and Murray State, this is a unique game. These programs have never played each other. Both the Cowboys and Racers have played college football for more than 100 years. Scouting won’t be a challenge. Ensuring the Cowboys take the opponent seriously could be the challenge, and it usually is the biggest challenge in games like this.

On paper, that shouldn't be a problem for Oklahoma State. After all, the Cowboys haven't won a conference game since the end of the 2023 season. Losses to Oregon and Tulsa early last season cost program legend Mike Gundy his job. New head coach Eric Morris is all about flipping the program’s talent and making it successful again. That doesn't happen if the players don't take everything seriously.

The first two weeks of this season shouldn't be an issue. Oklahoma State opens at Tulsa and then hosts Oregon. While no one is assuming victories in either game, there will be plenty of motivation for the Cowboys to prove that they're better than a year ago.

Murray State is a different animal. The Racers have fallen on hard times. Murray State has won two games in the last two seasons and plays in one of the most competitive conferences in that division. On paper, the Racers look like a pushover, the type of game where second-string and third-string players could be on the field for Oklahoma State by the third quarter.

That's the risk for Oklahoma State. After a revenge game against Tulsa, followed by Oregon, the obvious reaction is to take the foot off the gas against Murray State. But the Cowboys can't afford that. The Cowboys have so much to prove this season. Not taking an opponent seriously, even one with Murray State’s recent history, isn't an option.

Can Murray State threaten Oklahoma State this season? On paper, no. But these games aren't played on paper. Under the right circumstances, the Racers could beat the Cowboys. That's why it's imperative for Oklahoma State to take the game as seriously as it takes Oregon. It’s the best way to avoid the kind of upset that cost Gundy his job a year ago.