Oklahoma Cowboys College Football Preview 2024: Key Players, Schedule, Season Predictions

Oklahoma State College Football Preview 2024

Who’s the anchor tenant in the mall?

That’s been my overused line about the Big 12 ever since it was announced that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving for the SEC, but really, who’s the star of the conference now? What’s the foundational program that should be the league’s standard bearer?

Oklahoma won 31 regular season Big 12 games over the five years, and Texas won 28 times.

Oklahoma State won 30. (Kansas State won 27, by the way.)

The program wins football games. Mike Gundy cranked up 18 straight winning seasons with eight double-digit victory campaigns the last 14 years, and …

OF COURSE everyone Texas and Oklahoma up high in the rankings, and it’s assumed Utah and Arizona will be big right out of the gate as Big 12 schools. That’s all fine, but we know what we’re getting in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State will come up with another winning season, it will probably win ten games, and it should be deep in the mix for the Big 12 title and expanded College Football Playoff.

So where’s the national respect?

Here’s the problem. In the ten years of the four-team College Football Playoff era, the 2021 Cowboy team - it came within six inches of probably being in - is the only one that would’ve made a 12-team playoff. (The 2016 team would’ve been the first one out.)

Oklahoma State might win a lot, and then - like last year - it will get wiped up by South Alabama 33-7 and lose to UCF 45-3 a week after a win over Oklahoma.

The 2022 team averaged over 40 points per game over the first seven games, and couldn’t score more than 20 the rest of the way.

And now Oklahoma and Texas are gone, the schedule isn’t bad, this Oklahoma State team is loaded with experience, and …

Yeah, this might be the best program in the new Big 12. This year, go ahead and put the College Playoff or Bust tag on it.

Oklahoma State Football Preview 2024: Offense

- The offense was eighth in the Big 12 in total yards, ninth in rushing, eighth in scoring, and yet it all worked. There were times when the machine totally collapsed, but for the most part it was balanced, explosive, and came up with 29 points or more in seven of the last ten games.

The skill parts are strong, but it starts with an offensive line that was among the best in America in pass protection and was the best in the Big 12 in tackles for loss allowed.

Four starters are expected back, the depth is solid, and C Joe Michalski and OT Dalton Cooper are stars at their positions. They’ll once again pave the way for …

- Ollie Gordon II. Oklahoma State has itself a running back. The 2023 Doak Walker winner ran 19 times in the first three games. He scored twice, but he didn’t get a whole lot of work.

From then on, the Cowboys never lost when he ran 20 times or more. He finished with 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns in a scintillating season, but now he’ll be a marked man.

- As good as the ground game is, and as strong as the O line might be, the receiving corps might be one of the team’s biggest strengths.

Brennan Presley is an all-star coming off a 101-catch season in the slot, Rashod Owens was second on the team with 63 grabs, and coming back is former Washington State Cougar De’Zhaun Stribling, who made 14 catches before getting hurt. Ohio tight end transfer Tyler Foster should be a factor right away.

Oklahoma State Football Preview 2024: Defense

- The defense struggled against the run, the pass defense had its down moments, and none of it mattered when the takeaways were flowing.

The pass rush and plays behind the line should be good enough, and the big plays should keep on flowing. Last year the Cowboys went 8-0 when coming up with two takeaways or more, and it all starts with …

- The linebackers are fantastic. Nick Martin made 140 tackles with six sacks and 16 tackles for loss, Collin Oliver made 73 tackles with six sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles, and Justin Wright - who came up with 101 tackles in 2022 for Tulsa - is back for a seventh year after missing almost all of 2023 hurt.

The plays behind the line will come from the linebackers, but end Obi Ezeigbo is coming in from the D-II ranks to be a pass rusher on one side. 310-pound Collin Clay and 281-pound Kody Walterscheid are two of the good veterans up front.

- The secondary has some strong playmakers returning. Kendal Daniels is a star at one safety spot - he was second on the team with 105 tackles, fellow safety Trey Rucker returns coming off a 100-tackle season - and the starting corner combination of Cam Smith and Korie Black returns.

Key To The Oklahoma State Football Season

Keep that running game going.
The passing attack will be terrific at times and should at least be efficient, but it’s all about grinding it out on the ground.

Oklahoma State ran for 134 yards or more nine times and went 9-0. It was 1-4 when running for fewer, and got obliterated in the three games when it failed to get to 100 yards. Since 2020 it’s 2-7 when it doesn’t get to 100.

Oklahoma State Key Player

Alan Bowman, QB Sr.
First he was at Texas Tech, then was a backup at Michigan, then last year he finally got through a season healthy - and the gig was his - in his first season at Oklahoma State. It’s his seventh season as a college football quarterback.

He has good passing skills and the game isn’t about to slow down any more than it already has. Now he has to cut down on the interceptions (14) and start to be a bit more consistently accurate.

The Cowboys went 8-0 when the passing game hit 60% or better.

Oklahoma State Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: Obi Ezeigbo, EDGE Sr.
It takes something special to be a huge recruit from a Division II school.

Gannon University is in Erie, Pennsylvania, and it had a whale of a 6-3, 252-pound pass rusher in Ezeigbo, who made 14 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons. It his job to take over on the outside right away and make things happen behind the line.

Top Transfer Out: DJ McKinney, CB Soph.
McKinney is a promising young corner who came up with 38 tackles with five broken up passes in his first full season. The skill set is there to be a top-end lockdown defender, but now he’s off learning from the best at Colorado. It takes something special to be a starting corner for Deion Sanders.

Oklahoma State Key Game

at Kansas State, Sept. 28
There’s no more Oklahoma to deal with and no Texas to worry about, either. The Big 12 opener against Utah is a big deal, and then comes the road showdown at Kansas State.

If the Cowboys - who have won four of the last five in the series - come out of that 2-0, they’re in the perfect position to get back to the Big 12 Championship - five of the last six games are against teams that didn’t go bowling.

10 Best Oklahoma State Football Players

1. Ollie Gordon, RB Jr.
2. Nick Martin, LB Jr.
3. Collin Oliver, LB Sr.
4. Brennan Presley, WR Sr.
5. Kendal Daniels, S Jr.
6. Justin Wright, LB Sr.
7. Joe Michalski, C Sr.
8. Rashod Owens, WR Sr.
9. Dalton Cooper, OT Sr.
10. De’Zhaun Stribling, WR Jr.

Oklahoma State 2023 Fun Stats

- Fumbles: Opponents 22 (lost 10), Oklahoma State 14 (lost 5)

- First Half Scoring: Opponents 240, Oklahoma State 187

- 4th Down Conversions: Oklahoma State 11-of-20 (55%), Opponents 6-of-25 (24%)

Oklahoma State Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

Consistency, consistency, consistency.

Oklahoma State doesn’t have Texas or Oklahoma to deal with, the Utah game is in Stillwater, and Arizona, Iowa State, and Kansas - along with Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF - are off the slate.

The toughest non-conference game is a home date with Arkansas, the only road game against a team that went bowling last year is at Kansas State, and …

There’s no excuse for the Cowboys to not make a great run at the expanded College Football Playoff.

They might do it by winning the Big 12 title, or they might just be good enough to get into the mix with a ten-win regular season.

With all of that said, the team that got destroyed by South Alabama and UCF has to show up every week. The talent and experience are there to be dominant each and every week.

Set The Oklahoma State Win Total At … 8.5

Likely Wins: South Dakota State, at Tulsa

50/50 Games: Arkansas, Arizona State, Baylor, at BYU, at Colorado, at Kansas State, at TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, West Virginia

Likely Losses: No projected games Oklahoma State shouldn’t have a chance in

2024 Oklahoma State Football Schedule

Aug 31 South Dakota State
Sept 7 Arkansas
Sept 14 at Tulsa
Sept 21 Utah
Sept 28 at Kansas State
Oct 5 West Virginia
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 18 at BYU
Oct 26 at Baylor
Nov 2 Arizona State
Nov 9 at TCU
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 Texas Tech
Nov 30 at Colorado
Missing: Arizona, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, UCF