What Wins, What Loses Game for Oklahoma State Against West Virginia in 2026
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a lot on the line when they face the West Virginia Mountaineers on Sept. 26 to open Big 12 play.
The Cowboys haven't won a conference game since the end of the 2023 season. It sounds like a broken record to Cowboys fans. But it's a record that will continue to play until new head coach Eric Morris leads Oklahoma State to its first league victory of 2026. Heaven forbid he presides over another 0-9 league slate.
The Cowboys will open the season in Morgantown, W.V., against the West Virginia Mountaineers as head coach Rich Rodriguez starts his second season in his second stint at the helm.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys hope to win this game. Below are the things that will help them win and the things that will help them lose.
What Will Win The Game
Winning on the Ground
Both teams were terrible running the football last year. Both have gone to lengths to improve that in 2026.
Oklahoma State brought in former North Texas freshman Caleb Hawkins, who set an FBS record for rushing touchdowns in a season by a freshman. West Virginia tapped Cam Cook from Jacksonville state, who led the nation in rushing yards.
Chances are both teams will be better running the football. But they also operate out of air raid offenses so two things are important here for the Cowboys. First, Hawkins must run the ball effectively. Second, the defense must limit Cook’s effectiveness and make the WVU offense more one-dimensional. It will go a long way toward deciding the game.
Pressure The Passer
West Virginia may have a new starting quarterback with Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. The Mountaineers do have a holdover, Scotty Fox Jr., who became a starter as a freshman in 2025. But it's easy to see the potential for the Mountaineers to go in Hawkins’ direction, considering he spent two years in Oklahoma. He also brings a bit more of a dual threat aspect to the offense.
Just as the Cowboys weren't good at stopping the run last season, they weren't good at rushing the passer either. For Oklahoma State to win it must put constant pressure on Hawkins or Fox, or perhaps both, to put the put the Mountaineers on their heels.
What Will Lose The Game
Turnovers
Turnovers were a big problem with the Cowboys last season. OSU was tied for 103rd in turnover margin in 2025 and lost 17 turnovers against 12 forced. North Texas was No. 16 in the nation with a plus-nine turnover differential. The Mean Green forced 28 turnovers and gave up 19. That’s important since Morris brought nearly 20 UNT transfers with him.
It's a road game in Morgantown. It's a Big 12 opener. The crowd will be hyped. For the road team, turnovers are critical. The Cowboys must finish in a positive turnover differential to win this game.
Inefficient Offense
Both teams run the same type of offense. Morris likes his team to work fast. The Mean Green only averaged 28 minutes per game in terms of time of possession in 2025. That makes Oklahoma State’s ability to be efficient on offense key in this contest.
Because West Virginia runs a similar type of offense, there's a good chance Oklahoma State will get more possessions than it might normally expect.
Oklahoma State needs to run the ball effectively, put quarterback Drew Mestemaker in short down and distant situations and be effective on third down. Doing so will give the Cowboys more red zone opportunities and put more pressure on West Virginia's offense.
A failure to be efficient in those areas could cause real problems for the Cowboys, especially in the second half if they’ve fallen behind.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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