Oklahoma State's Big 12 Title and New Year's Six Chances Continue to Increase
Oklahoma State’s season is going better than expected, and it could end as one of its best.
After beating Oklahoma 27-24 in the last scheduled Bedlam, OSU is on track to play in the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2021. If OSU wins out, it will clinch a trip to Arlington and perhaps beyond.
The Cowboys' remaining schedule is about as easy as it gets in the Big 12, but they still have to take care of business. With two of their three games on the road in unfamiliar territory, the Cowboys must perform well against otherwise mediocre teams.
OSU’s next game is against UCF in Orlando in the first-ever matchup between the schools. At 1-5 in Big 12 play, UCF has the worst conference records of OSU’s remaining foes.
The Cowboys will then travel to Houston to face the Cougars for the first time since 2009. Then, the Cowboys will return home to face the other Cougars of BYU in the first regular season meeting between the two.
While it is possible for OSU to lose one game and still make the Big 12 Championship, winning out against teams with a combined 5-13 conference record is the clearest path. If things in the Big 12 standings hold, Texas would be OSU’s opponent in Arlington.
The Longhorns could be 11-1 going into that game and looking to earn a trip to the College Football Playoff. The Cowboys would try to play spoiler and earn a New Year’s Six appearance.
But if OSU does not have what it takes to beat Texas, its hopes of a big bowl game may not be over.
Since the CFP format took over in the 2014 season, 18 three-loss teams have made a New Year’s Six game. Of those 18, only four won their conference championship, leaving a path for OSU to get a high-profile bowl game even with a loss.
After back-to-back losses early in the season, talks of a Big 12 Championship or a New Year’s Six bowl would have been ridiculous. Yet, OSU has won five straight and knocked off its in-state rival in the process to land squarely in the middle of these discussions.
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