Should Oklahoma State Copy Smaller Schools' Video Game Strategy?

The Cowboys might be able to bring in some more money.

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

A new college football video game is out, and Oklahoma State could take advantage of a new feature.

In College Football 25, the first edition after the game’s return, teams were grouped into tiers based on prior rankings. With OSU’s success in recent years, it was among the select schools in the top tier and had one of the highest payouts.

However, that has all changed in College Football 26. This year, EA will be giving out royalties based on how much a school is used in the game. The team used the most by gamers will get the most money from EA, with that trend going all the way down the list of 136 teams.

If that strategy was in last year’s game, the Cowboys likely would have had no problem being one of the top-earning teams in the country. OSU was a Big 12 contender, Ollie Gordon was a virtual cheat code and OSU’s vast selection of uniforms always gives an added boost.

While the uniforms are still clean and abundant, the other factors aren’t there. Considering OSU has had recent success, non-OSU fans are unlikely to just want to rebuild the program in a dynasty like they might with a historically bad team like Kansas.

While OSU has a large enough fanbase to ensure a solid payout, it still won’t be close to the top-tier payout it received last year, which is where an innovative strategy could come into play. Smaller schools such as Delaware and Tulsa have incentivized players to use their school in the game.

Offering merchandise, tickets, signed memorabilia and more, those teams have given the opportunity to win prizes to players who win a national championship in dynasty mode with the team. It might not seem like much, but considering how some fans might only gravitate toward playing with their team in the game, offering at least some incentive could help smaller schools climb the rankings and earn a larger check for this year’s game.

Considering how innovative the Cowboys have tried to be and their desire to be on the cutting edge of developments in this era of college sports, getting in on the action here could give the program some solid momentum moving forward.

---