ESPN's SP+ Rankings Provide Optimism for Oklahoma State's 2025 Season

The Cowboys have a chance to make some noise this fall.

An Oklahoma State helmet is pictured before a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s expectations for next season aren’t high, but the Cowboys might not be as bad as expected.

Going into the 2025 season, there is almost no one predicting OSU to be in the hunt for a Big 12 title. While that has been a bit of a rarity throughout Mike Gundy’s tenure, so was his team’s 3-9 record from a year ago.

Simply looking to rebound from their rough 2024 campaign, the Cowboys’ goal for 2025 should be as simple as making a bowl game and finishing with a winning record. Although it’s still a far cry from the consistent Big 12 contention that has been seen under Gundy, any step in the right direction is important. 

Beyond having few believers in their Big 12 title chances, most around the country seem to believe that OSU is a coin flip at best to make a bowl game next season. Considering OSU effectively has a scheduled loss at Oregon in nonconference play, it almost certainly needs four conference wins to make it to the postseason.

How does OSU compare to the rest of the country?

Recently, ESPN’s Bill Connelly released his SP+ rankings for the 2025 season. OSU earned the No. 57 spot on his board, putting the Cowboys just above the bottom 15 teams in the power four. Considering other rankings put the Cowboys right in the middle of that bottom tier, Connelly’s ranking might be reason for optimism in Stillwater.

Another reason for optimism based on the SP+ rankings is the Big 12’s relative mediocrity. While OSU’s schedule will indeed be filled with Big 12 teams that are ahead of it in these rankings, Kansas State is still the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 18.

Without any true national contenders expected in this upcoming season, the Cowboys could be able to become the surprise team in the Big 12. After Kansas State, no other teams in the conference even get into the top 25.

Considering OSU will be within 30 spots of almost every conference opponent it faces, there is a chance for the Cowboys to get into the conference title race if it can pull some upsets early. As with any other rankings, Connelly’s ranking is updated weekly during the season and can give some great insight into how the numbers project the college football landscape. 

Considering that the Cowboys went from No. 20 to No. 81 last season in the SP+, there is plenty of room for movement as Gundy’s team looks to improve throughout 2025.

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