Is Oklahoma State's Offseason Underrated?
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Oklahoma State had one of the nation’s most interesting offseasons, but it wasn’t necessarily one of the best.
This offseason, the Cowboys have done seemingly everything they can to get back to being a winning team. After going 3-9, there was a clear commitment to getting better over the offseason, and OSU has thrown everything at the wall in an attempt to turn things around in 2025.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Cowboys will find success next season. Over the past few years, the college football landscape has been dominated by teams filled with transfer portal additions and has seen mixed results.
While OSU has simply adapted well to the team-building aspect of the transfer portal, there is some concern that there has simply been too much change in Stillwater. While the roster overturn is something that can be handled well for most teams at this level, coupling that with a significant coaching overhaul is something that could lead to a long adjustment period.
ESPN recently ranked the offseason for every power conference team, breaking it down by conference. While OSU likely feels it has made good moves and done enough to get back into the Big 12 title picture, ESPN seems to believe otherwise, ranking the Cowboys’ offseason 12th in the conference.
Now, the Cowboys' low offseason ranking doesn’t necessarily translate to believing the Cowboys will have a bad season. However, with an offseason seen as one of the five worst in the conference following a 3-9 year that featured a winless conference slate, it’s difficult to take that ranking as anything other than a lack of belief in Mike Gundy and the Cowboys.
Still, in the article, ESPN seems to be somewhat optimistic about OSU next season. There was optimism from Bill Connelly about OSU’s “necessary” coaching changes and how the receiving core will look.
While the optimism is cautious at best, it is still something for the Cowboys to be excited about. No one knows how OSU will look next season, and no one is willing to make any bold predictions about the Cowboys in either direction.
The pressure is off of Gundy’s team going into 2025, which could work out perfectly on the field.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.