Will OSU's Bye Week Be The Final Push To Help It Secure Its First Big 12 Win?

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are currently on a much-needed bye week after a rough stretch of games. OSU has lost eight games straight and has yet to beat an FBS opponent this season. However, the Cowboys have recently seemed to be moving in the right direction.

Last week, Oklahoma State traveled to Kansas to take on the Jayhawks, and the game wasn’t as bad as previous OSU outings. The Cowboys scored early and ended the first quarter with a 7-3 lead. The Cowboys would continue to hang on and only be down three going into halftime.

Kansas would eventually pull away, but the Cowboys would cover the spread and only lose 38-21. This game featured a standout performance from quarterback Zane Flores, who looked composed for the first time all year.

Although it wasn’t a win, taking this positive performance into the bye week could help the Cowboys with their three remaining games this season. This starts next week with Kansas State coming to Stillwater for an 11 a.m. kickoff.

The Wildcats haven’t had the year they desired either, as they are currently 4-5 this season. This deems the Cowboys an opportunity to steal their first Big 12 win since 2023. With an extra week to prepare, this might be the best chance the Cowboys have for the rest of the year.

This week also gives the Cowboys another week to rest from the nagging injuries that have been bothering the team. Rodney Fields Jr. recently missed the Cowboys' game against Texas Tech due to a toe injury, but returned against Kansas. Kansas was also the first game Flores had been back for since he went out in the Cowboys game against Arizona.

This week will allow the Cowboys to get fully healthy before they have to take the field again on Nov. 15. This week will also be the first bye week coach Doug Meacham has had at the helm this season.

This will allow Meacham his first opportunity with an extra week to gameplan for an opponent. We’ve seen Meacham pull out crazy trick plays in efforts to score, and there could be plenty more where that came from.

The Cowboys have not had much go right for them this season, but if they continue to make improvements over this bye week, there is a chance that the Cowboys get their first FBS win of the season because of it.