Why Winning is Oklahoma State’s Best Asset in College Football Realignment

With college football realignment a constant question, one analyst said the best thing the Oklahoma State Cowboys can do is something they haven’t since 2023.

Oklahoma State running back Caleb Hawkins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Winning and losing isn’t necessarily the best variable to judge the realignment moves that different conferences make. But it can help.

For Oklahoma State, getting back to being a winning program after two awful years could be their best asset — and defense — when the realignment train comes around again in the future, according to On3’s Brett McMurphy.

The college football insider — and OSU graduate — recently joined OState Daily, which covers the Cowboys, to talk about the Cowboys’ chances of switching conferences when the time comes. He wasn’t optimistic about Oklahoma State joining the leagues that are seen as the two biggest in college sports, the SEC or the Big Ten.

“I'm just telling you the facts — this is nothing negative about Oklahoma State — but there is no way the SEC is going to add Oklahoma State,” McMurphy said. “They've got Oklahoma. They had that chance and they don't need two schools from the state of Oklahoma. The Big Ten values AAU universities, and for people that aren't aware of that, it's a very highly prestigious academic rating that Oklahoma State does not have.”

But there are ways that the Cowboys can protect their future — and even enhance their value in the future — if realignment comes around again.

Oklahoma State’s Realignment Future

The Cowboys went 1-11 last year and 3-9 the year before, making them 4-20 in the past two seasons. Before that, the Cowboys were a Big 12 Championship game team for two out of three seasons and former head coach Mike Gundy turned the Cowboys into consistent winners. His tenure ended last year, and former North Texas coach Eric Morris has been entrusted to turn the program around.

Morris making Oklahoma State winners again is the best way for the Cowboys to protect their future, per McMurphy.

“I don't want this to sound all gloom and doom but the best thing Oklahoma State can do is win because the more you win the more attractive you are,” he said.

McMurphy said that if the Big Ten and the SEC decided to expand, they would like go after schools in the ACC. It would be a regional play for both schools. The SEC prefers to stay in its regional footprint, and the south is the one area of the country the Big Ten has yet to expand to after taking in four west coast schools a few years ago.

At that point, what remains of the ACC and the Big 12 may decide to merge. Oddly, McMurphy did offer one piece of analysis that could help the Big 12 down the line.

“I think the Big 12 is in a better position than the ACC because nobody really wants the schools in the Big 12,” he said. “It’s kind of an island of misfit toys.”