Oklahoma State Nearing First Winless Big 12 Season

Oklahoma State has never gone winless in Big 12 play, but that seems like the most likely outcome in 2024.

On Saturday, OSU lost 38-13 to TCU in Fort Worth, falling to 3-7 and 0-7 in conference play. After entering conference play as a top-15 seed and hoping to make the College Football Playoff, OSU failed to win a game.

The Cowboys escaped their Week 2 game against Arkansas with a double overtime victory. Reminiscent of some of OSU’s improbable wins in 2023, the Cowboys appeared poised to make another run this season.

But the Cowboys seemingly worked all their magic in their matchup against an SEC foe. OSU hasn’t won a game since Sept. 14 and has failed to compete in most Big 12 games.

During Mike Gundy’s first 19 years in Stillwater, OSU had a losing record in conference play just five times. During that same span, OSU has eight 10-win seasons. Not only is OSU accustomed to losing conference records, it has also been spoiled with the best improvement in school history under Gundy.

Of course, this means that the response to a 3-7 season is much different than OSU’s consistently losing seasons in the ’90s under Pat Jones and Bob Simmons. The Cowboys’ 1994 campaign was their final under Jones, the most recent season as OSU remained winless in conference play.

In 1994, the Cowboys were in the Big 8 and the Big 12 was still a few years away. The Cowboys have only two more chances to suffer the same fate as the 1994 team and perhaps avoid Gundy’s fate as Jones.

OSU hosts Texas Tech in the home finale a week before wrapping up the year at Colorado on Black Friday. Considering OSU’s last two opponents have lost just six games this season, one would think the Cowboys could finish the season tough with a 3-9 record.

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