Oklahoma State's Omission in Latest ESPN Ranking Should Add More Fuel for 2026

The Cowboys didn't play in many exciting games last season.

Oct 25, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; A general view of an Oklahoma State Cowboys helmet on the field before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State didn’t play in any classics in 2025, but it has some motivation to make it back into the college football spotlight next season.

There’s no denying that 2025 was an awful year for OSU football. Winning only one game and finishing on an 11-game losing streak without a single win against an FBS opponent is about as rock bottom as it gets for a team in college football.

That being said, it was also disheartening for the Cowboys to not even play much exciting football of any kind. As evidenced by the Cowboys’ omission in Bill Connelly’s top 100 college football games of 2025 for ESPN, not much was interesting about any particular game in OSU’s season.

The Cowboys’ first one-possession game in 2025 came against Tulsa in a not-so-thrilling 19-12 matchup that saw OSU somehow have a chance to tie the game on the final play. Ultimately, the final play of that game would also be the final play of Mike Gundy’s OSU tenure.

With Doug Meacham at the helm, most of the middle of the season was filled with blowout losses. However, the Pokes managed to finish the season with three straight one-possession loss.

While most OSU seasons with that many one-possession games would find a way to get one spot on the top 100 games list, the Pokes scored a combined 33 points in those contests. Meanwhile, Eric Morris’ North Texas squad earned the No. 46 spot on the list for a 45-38 overtime win against Army in September.

With a much higher profile job in Stillwater, there’s a decent chance that Morris and company will be able to find some more spots on that list in 2026. Even the 2024 OSU team that went 3-9 had a couple of games on that list last year, for thrillers against Arkansas and BYU.

With Morris expected to bring a high-flying style of play into Boone Pickens Stadium next season, the Cowboys could easily find themselves in some of the most entertaining games of the year, at least in the Big 12. OSU is no stranger to the high-scoring affairs the Big 12 has to offer, but it hasn’t been able to find that 2010s magic offensively over the past few years.

However, if OSU can get some points on the board next season and climb back up the Big 12 standings, it should have no problem being in some of the most memorable college football matchups in 2026.

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