CFB Analyst Compares Oklahoma State Football to Scary Roller Coaster

The Cowboys have been on a wild ride in recent years.

Head coach Mike Gundy looks at the score board during an Oklahoma State spring football showcase at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 19, 2025. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is set for another interesting season, and the Cowboys have quite the reputation for being interesting.

Over the past two decades, Mike Gundy has been at the forefront of OSU’s sudden football success. Before his arrival in Stillwater as head coach, the Cowboys had historically struggled to win with any consistency.

With him in charge, OSU made 18 straight bowl games before last season’s three-win disaster. Of course, there have been many highs and lows throughout Gundy’s tenure, which has led to some rather interesting comparisons over the years.

A wild ride in Stillwater

In a recent article from The Athletic, college football analyst Stewart Mandel did a mailbag where he was asked to assign teams to different rides for a Big 12-themed amusement park. Mandel’s first pick was for the “scary roller coaster,” and he chose the Cowboys for that ride.

“Generations of kids have grown up on the Mike Gundy experience,” Mandel wrote. “One moment you come within inches of winning the Big 12 title, the next you’re 7-6. One moment you lose 33-7 to South Alabama, the next you’re 10-4. Then you see your life flash in front of you as you abruptly descend to 0-9 in the Big 12.”

It’s hard to argue with Mandel’s assessment of OSU football over the past few years, especially considering where the program sits now. Mandel’s summary of the past four years seems quite relevant as OSU enters another season of uncertainty.

While the roller coaster in Stillwater has been operational for years, there is some concern about how long Gundy’s ride can hold up moving forward. After making some significant renovations to the coaster with new coordinators and the portal, OSU is hoping the ride will be a bit smoother moving forward.

Where is the roller coaster headed now?

With the 2025 season kicking off in only a few weeks, the Cowboys are hoping to give fans a bit of a thrill after the disaster that was the 2024 campaign. Of course, it will be easier said than done for the Pokes to get back into a bowl game, but if they can simply take care of business in Big 12 play, they should be able to make some noise.

For a rickety coaster that seems to be holding on for dear life, OSU could still surprise some people in the next few years, but there’s still a chance that the coaster can’t take the pressure and slowly crumbles.

---