Oklahoma State's Upcoming Kickoff Time Just Another Tough Pill to Swallow
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Oklahoma State is in the midst of a bye week, but it already has some troubling news about its next matchup.
Over the past couple of months, OSU has gone from a program optimistic about bouncing back after an offseason full of changes to a dejected Big 12 bottom-feeder in the process of making the biggest changes the program has seen in decades. With Mike Gundy gone, OSU has relied on Doug Meacham in the interim role, and the former Cowboy has done the best he can, but it hasn’t resulted in any wins.
Now entering the final three games of the year with a 1-8 mark and zero wins against FBS competition, the Cowboys are hoping their bye week can be a turning point in some sense, even if this season is already lost. Coming out of the bye, OSU will be hosting Kansas State in its first home game in nearly a month.
While it might be nice in theory for OSU to have a chance to get back in front of its home crowd, the Big 12’s announcement on Monday might have hurt those chances dramatically. In announcing some of the game times for next week, the Cowboys’ battle against the Wildcats was slated for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
K-State kick time announced 🤠 pic.twitter.com/5N4uzOilh2
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) November 3, 2025
Frankly, it’s not all that surprising that the Pokes are getting forced to play in the worst window of the college football weekend. At 1-8, there probably aren’t many around the country tuning in to see anything that happens on the field at Boone Pickens Stadium.
With the shirtless section in 231 being the most interesting piece of OSU’s home games this season thus far, it’s hard to make a case that OSU deserves a different window. Beyond this being an indication of the Cowboys’ status in college football, it’s also a sign of where Kansas State is, with the Wildcats coming into Stillwater with a 4-5 record.
While it might be the spot OSU has played itself into, the 11 a.m. kickoff is only another tough pill to swallow for the Cowboys. After playing some encouraging football in Lawrence, there might have been a chance to get a somewhat rowdy crowd into Stillwater for Zane Flores’ first home game since the conference opener. Instead, the early kickoff likely eliminates any chance of a true home-field advantage, and some typical mid-November weather might have the chance to make that situation even worse.
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.