What Colorado Does Better Than Oklahoma State and Why It Matters

The Colorado Buffaloes weren’t much better than the Oklahoma State Cowboys last year but here’s an area where they look better.

Colorado Buffaloes tight end Zach Atkins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Colorado Buffaloes combined to win four games last season.

The Cowboys went 1-11 and lost every Big 12 game for the second straight year. The Buffaloes won three games, including one Big 12 game, as they took a huge step back after 2024 in which they came close to earning a berth in the Big 12 Championship game and wide receiver Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy.

Entering this season the Cowboys feel like a team that should bounce back nicely from last year’s rough season. New head coach Eric Morris brought in a new staff and nearly 20 transfers from his old job, North Texas, where the Mean Green went 12-2 and nearly won the American Conference title.

Both teams are coming off bad seasons. But here is one area where Colorado appears to have an edge over Oklahoma State going into the season.

What Colorado Does Better Than Oklahoma State

Colorado Buffaloes tight end Zach Atkins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Based on what’s coming back, there’s one area where the Buffs appears to have an advantage and that’s tight end.

First, the Buffs have a returning starter at the position that the Cowboys don’t. Zach Atkins is back for his senior season after was a full-time starter for Colorado last year during which he caught 20 passes for 149 yards. He was fourth on the team in receptions and he was in the Top 20 among Big 12 tight ends in receptions and receiving yards.

Before he joined CU, he played three seasons at Northwest Missouri State, a Division II school in Maryville, Mo., where he caught 18 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns in his final season there in 2024.

His likely backup is Fisher Clements, a senior who transferred in from Northern Colorado after four seasons. He was mostly a special teams contributor.

Oklahoma State has talent, but it’s less proven or coming off significant injuries. Donovan Green transferred in after stops at two SEC schools, Texas A&M and LSU. He has 24 career receptions in four seasons as he’s failed to hang onto significant playing time.

Behind him on the depth chart going into the season is Oscar Hammond. He is one of the many North Texas transfers, but he has more to prove than some of the others. He missed last season due to an injury. He did play in 2024 and caught 19 passes, so he knows the offense, but he hasn’t caught passes in a game from quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who was a redshirt in 2024.

Since both teams turned over so much talent from a year ago, it’s hard to find significant advantages for either side. But for CU, the tight end position may be the one area where the Buffs have a clear edge.