The Future is Grim for Oklahoma State Following 13th Straight FBS Loss
The phrase "Loyal and True" has long been the motto of the Oklahoma State Cowboy organization. It has been a phrase that has helped many fans of the Pokes get through some dark times throughout history. Yet, following the Cowboys' 13th straight FBS loss on Saturday, the long-standing phrase is becoming even harder to live with for many of the Cowboy faithful.
Oklahoma State has been the talk of college football for the past two weeks, and not for a good reason. The Cowboys dropped nine straight games to close out the season in 2024, and following what seemed like a great offseason in which the Pokes strung together a stellar portal class... the future seemed to be looking up.
"They played well, we did not."
— Bryan Keating (@KOCOKeating) October 5, 2025
Oklahoma State Interim Head Coach Doug Meacham after the Cowboys 41-13 loss to Arizona. pic.twitter.com/AVtLFaEsc2
They took down (FCS) UT Martin in the 2025 season opener and then picked right up where they left off from a season ago. Losses to Tulsa and Oregon forced the Cowboys' hand in sending longtime Oklahoma State legend Mike Gundy packing. They then proceeded to drop games to Baylor and, most recently, Arizona as the losing continued in Stillwater.
The Pokes had to sit back and watch their 2026 recruiting class slowly disappear. It was a recruiting class that was shaping up to be one of the top prep classes in many years for O-State. Then, many current players started to hit the recently opened transfer portal. The 2025 Cowboys were virtually on like support only a few games into the Big 12 Conference season schedule.
Oklahoma State Blown Out at Arizona as FBS Losing Streak Extends to 13 https://t.co/FlsDhD8f0X
— OK State on SI (@OKStateOnSI) October 4, 2025
A program that was once predicted to take over the throne vacated by the University of Oklahoma and Texas is now a bottom-feeder in the Big 12. A historic football program built on hard work and determination is now barely treading water.
There may be no light at the end of the tunnel for the Pokes. They may now be without another quarterback following an apparent injury to current starting quarterback Zane Flores. The defense has been decimated by injury and the transfer portal, and Oklahoma State hasn't even entered the meat of their Big 12 schedule.
The Cowboys will more than likely be major underdogs in their next five football games when they take on Houston, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, and Kansas. Oklahoma State welcomes Kansas State to town on Nov. 15, and it may be their only hope to salvage another win this season.
I’m not even pessimistic about Oklahoma State games right now.
— Wilson F. Ball, CFB Analyst (@WillyFoosball) October 4, 2025
We have a new coach coming, we are going to bounce back. Just find positives out of players and look at this year as the path towards a rebuild.
It’s going to be fine!
Their saving grace this season may rest on the shoulders of quarterback Hauss Hejny, who is currently nursing an injured ankle. The likelihood of Hejny returning this season only diminishes with every passing week as the rumblings of a redshirt season start to enter the conversations.
Cowboy Nation may have lost hope. Many have already turned their attention to the 2026 season. In the land of Pistol Pete and the Cowboys, "Loyal and True" has never been tested more than it is today.
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.