Can Oklahoma State Turn Its Big 12 Fate Around?

A bad situation has gotten worse for Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys are still without a win in Big 12 play as they lost to Kansas 38-21 on Saturday, but now they are alone in that category.

Going into Week 10, the Cowboys had company at the bottom of the Big 12 rankings as West Virginia was 0-5 and tied with the Cowboys for last in the conference. Now, however, the Mountaineers have done what OSU has yet to accomplish: win a Big 12 game.

West Virginia shocked the world as it went to Houston and beat the No.22 team in the land in its own house. This put the Mountaineers at 1-5 in the conference, now tied at second-to-last with Colorado.

This now leaves OSU all by itself at the bottom of the Big 12 standings with only three games left in its season. Oklahoma State had never had a winless Big 12 season before 2024, but now it's on track for two straight.

However, there is still a chance for the Cowboys to climb their way out of last place, and it might only take one game to do so.

OSU has three games remaining against Kansas State, UCF and Iowa State. Winning just one of these games, along with teams like West Virginia and Colorado losing out, would make sure the Pokes don’t finish last alone. Oklahoma State doesn’t have to settle for a tied last place, though winning against one opponent could make sure they don’t finish last in any fashion.

There is a third Big 12 team with only one conference win, along with Colorado and West Virginia, and it happens to be OSU’s Nov. 22 opponent in the UCF Knights. UCF is 1-4 in conference play, and besides OSU, it plays No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 9 BYU, and previously ranked Houston to finish the season.

According to ESPN analytics, UCF is projected to lose all remaining games besides Oklahoma State this season. If Oklahoma State is able to upset UCF in Week 13, there is a good chance for the two teams to finish with the same record. Therefore, OSU would have the head-to-head victory advantage, putting them above UCF in the conference standings.

Even though there is still hope for an above last-place finish, the Cowboys should still be sounding alarms. The Cowboys showed a glimpse of hope as they competed with Kansas in the first half of Saturday’s game, but they haven’t shown they can compete with a Big 12 for a full game. On top of this, the Cowboys haven't won against an FBS team since last season.

The Cowboys are in control of their own destiny for the rest of the season, and it’ll be up to them to make sure they don’t end at the bottom of the conference once again.