Oklahoma State Adds FCS Opponent to 2029 Football Schedule
In this story:
Oklahoma State has added another opponent to its future schedule.
On Wednesday, FBSchedules reported that OSU has added Lindenwood to its 2029 schedule. An FCS program, Lindenwood is based in Saint Charles, Missouri, and plays in the Ohio Valley Conference.
That game is currently set for Sept. 8, making it OSU’s Week 2 matchup in 2029. Assuming no changes are made, the Cowboys’ 2029 nonconference slate is set, with a Week 1 matchup against Tulsa and a Week 3 matchup at Alabama.
OSU’s scheduling philosophy
One of the most interesting things about this new era of college football as the playoff continues to expand is how teams go about their nonconference schedules. With the Cowboys already set to have a premier matchup at Alabama in 2029, it gets to have a couple of cupcakes on the slate before that matchup.
OSU’s rivalry with Tulsa appears to be at its strongest in recent memory. With games set for the foreseeable future and Bedlam off the schedule, th Cowboys are somewhat desperate for the Golden Hurricane to grow and make that a bigger game than it currently is.
Even if Tulsa continues to simply be a middling program in the group of five, the Cowboys will at least have a big game on the schedule with its power conference matchup each season. Alabama is one of a few big programs that the Cowboys have on the schedule moving forward. Add in Oregon, Arkansas and Nebraska, and the Cowboys will have no shortage of premier nonconference matchups in the near future, which gives OSU few consequences for putting an FCS team on the schedule.
Free wins are important
Although OSU will surely be handing Lindenwood a friendly payday to come to Stillwater in 2029, the matchup essentially gives the Cowboys a guaranteed win early in the year. With a chance to try out new things early and flush out all of the problems ahead of what could be their biggest game of the season, the Cowboys are simply smart for getting an FCS team on the schedule.
With Lindenwood now on the schedule, OSU has an FCS opponent on the docket for the next five seasons. After missing a bowl game last season, OSU needs any wins it can get.
In the future, if OSU can get back into playoff contention, simply having a matchup it doesn’t have to worry much about will be significant, especially considering the Big 12 has a nine-game conference schedule.
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.