Why Oklahoma State-Murray State Football Matchup is So Notable
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By the time the Oklahoma State Cowboys football team reaches Week 3, they will have played two games in the state.
The opener is on Sept. 5 at Tulsa, a team that beat them in Stillwater last season and triggered the firing of then-head coach Mike Gundy. Then, on Sept. 12, the Cowboys will host the Oregon Ducks. Last year, Oklahoma State lost that game, 69-3. It was the game before Gundy’s firing. That result had something to do with it, too.
The third week of the season means the Cowboys will still be in the state of Oklahoma. For the second straight week it means a home game at Boone Pickens Stadium. The opponent? The Murray State Racers. It’s a notable game for both teams for one reason.
Why Oklahoma State-Murray State is Notable
Part of previewing a football game is looking at what happened the last time the two teams met. Well, there’s an issue with that. The Cowboys and the Racers have never met. Not according to Murray State’s history page or Oklahoma State’s history page. Even a look at OSU’s head-to-head history page at sports-reference.com yielded nothing.
When the Cowboys and Racers face each other on Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. on ESPN+, it will be the first game between the two football programs.
Both football programs have been around for some time. The Cowboys played their first season in 1901. The Racers played their first football season in 1924. Murray State is now a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Cowboys were a member of the Missouri Valley from 1928-56 before it joined the Big 8 in 1960. It’s surprising their paths have not crossed to this point.
The Racers are trying to get themselves turned around under third-year head coach Jody Wright. The program is 2-22 under his leadership since he was hired before the 2024 season and hasn’t won a conference title since 2002. They left the Ohio Valley Conference to join the MVFC in 2022, one of the toughest leagues in FCS.
Last season the Racers lost their first 10 games before beating Indiana State, 31-17, in the season finale. Murray State played six ranked teams in MVFC action. The Cowboys won their opening game of the season over UT Martin before losing their next 11 to finish 1-11.
These two teams that have been trending in the same direction and are looking to turn things around. Only one will come out on top in Week 3.
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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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