What Big 12's AP Poll Success Means for Oklahoma State

The Cowboys won't be in the AP poll anytime soon, but the Big 12's status could have some big implications.

Oct 25, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive back Possa Utu (35) pressures Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback (16) Holden Phillips in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State might not be in the AP Top 25, but the Big 12 is in the best spot it’s been all season.

On Sunday, the latest AP poll dropped, and it featured some good news for the Big 12. For the first time this season, the Big 12 had five teams featured in the AP poll: No. 10 BYU, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 22 Houston and No. 24 Utah.

While the Cowboys won’t be getting anywhere near the AP poll this season and might not in the next couple of years, the Big 12 getting some national respect is still important for the program. As OSU makes its decision on a new coach in the next several weeks, selling that coach on this program potentially being a premier program in a top conference could be key in getting the right person in place. 

The obvious remaining problem in the Big 12 is its issue in getting into the upper echelon of the rankings. While the conference has five teams in the top 25, it also has the lowest-ranked highest-ranked team among the Power 4 conferences. While that would be a more significant issue in the four-team playoff era, the prospect of only getting one team into the playoff every season is still incredibly concerning.

It also hurts a bit that the Big 12 is banking on its new programs to carry the torch in this new era. Of the 10 teams that were in the Big 12 in 2022 before realignment, only three are in this week’s AP poll, and only one of those three is still in the conference, with Oklahoma and Texas accounting for two of those spots.

With how the Big 12 schedule matrix works out, the eight teams remaining from that 10-team conference are set to play each other more than they will the eight newcomers. In theory, that could help set up an easier schedule for the Pokes moving forward but also potentially give them fewer chances to secure wins against ranked opponents.

Perhaps that won’t be the case anymore by the time OSU is able to compete for conference titles again, but if a new coach can come in and lead a quick turnaround in Stillwater, it might be a legitimate concern. In the meantime, OSU likely won’t face another ranked team this season as it looks to get through the final four games of a season it would like to forget.

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