CBS Sports Analyst Anticipates Cowboy Football Resurgence in 2026

The Cowboys have a chance to get back in the Big 12 picture next season.

Head coach Eric Morris stands on the field during Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is hoping to bounce back in a big way next season.

Over the past couple of years, OSU has seen almost no success on the gridiron. Yet, the 2026 season is steadily approaching, with the Cowboys expected to be back in the hunt for a bowl game.

While many are anticipating the Cowboys to get back into the postseason in some form, they’re still one of the toughest teams to predict, given that they’ve almost entirely changed the program after a 1-11 campaign in 2025. As OSU looks to get back into the upper echelon of the Big 12, next season could easily be a turning point for the program.

In a recent article from CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah, he predicted the win totals for every Big 12 team for the 2026 season. While it might seem a bit too early for predictions like this, Jeyarajah gave a solid look at what the Big 12 might look like next season.

Of course, the Cowboys are one of the toughest squads in the entire country to pick, so Jayarajah’s analysis of Eric Morris and the Pokes was always sure to be interesting. In his predictions, the CBS Sports analyst picked OSU to hit its over, with the line currently set at 5.5 wins.

“Don't be surprised if Oklahoma State emerges as a mini-Indiana in the Big 12 next year,” Jeyarajah wrote. “Eric Morris brought over more than a dozen transfers from North Texas, including elite quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young. The swing really depends on the trenches. If the Cowboys managed to build Big 12-quality lines around their skill talent, there's serious Big 12 contention potential.”

In picking the Cowboys’ over, Jeyarajah also went game-by-game with his predictions, projecting an 8-4 season with losses against Oregon, Houston, Texas Tech and Arizona State. Considering OSU’s struggles over the past few years, an 8-4 season with a 6-3 mark in conference play would be an undeniable success for the first season of the Morris era.

For OSU to get back to the top of the Big 12 picture, it will need a season of this magnitude to begin. Sure, everyone in Stillwater would love an underdog story that gets OSU to Arlington next season, but the reality is that it will take time to fully build up the program, and an eight-win season would be a great way to start things off.