Where Does Oklahoma State Land in Way-Too-Early 2026 Bowl Projection?

The Cowboys are anticipated to make their return to the postseason.

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

Oklahoma State is looking to get back on track, and a trip to a bowl game again would be a clear success.

After missing out on postseason football for the past two seasons, the Cowboys are in a position to bounce back and get to where they want to go when 2026 comes around. While football season is still months away and spring football is still yet to begin, looking ahead to what next year’s postseason could look like is intriguing.

Considering the everchanging landscape of college sports, making predictions from week to week can sometimes feel impossible, much less trying to predict an entire season just a couple of months into the offseason. Still, CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford attempted to do just that.

In his recent article, Crawford projected every bowl game for the 2026 season and the College Football Playoff field.

While some have mentioned OSU as a potential dark horse in the College Football Playoff race next season if all goes accoring to plan, Crawford wasn’t quite ready to make such a bold prediction for the Pokes. Still, he has the Cowboys right back into bowl season with a projected trip to the Liberty Bowl against Florida.

Not only would OSU be more than excited about getting back to the postseason, but this type of matchup could be a real momentum-builder for the program. A potential win over an SEC team in a postseason matchup, perhaps potentially to hit 10 wins, would make OSU fans and higher-ups confident about the future of the program under Eric Morris.

Of course, just about any positive momentum would be a welcome sight for the program after winning four games in the past two seasons. While it seems a bit far-fetched, OSU might still be able to break into that College Football Playoff conversation.

In Crawford’s projections, he unsurprisingly picked Texas Tech to make it back to the playoff as the lone Big 12 team in the 12-team field. Considering how tough it will be for any Big 12 team to break into the field as an at-large, even an incredibly successful season from OSU likely won’t be enough if it falls short of winning the conference title in Arlington.

Still, if OSU can bounce back and get itself back into the national picture with a successful 2026 and use that momentum to compete for a Big 12 title in 2027 and beyond, no one would be upset if Crawford’s projection came true.