ESPN Projects Oklahoma State Among Worst Power Conference Teams

Oklahoma State has a make-or-break season ahead, and it needs to prove its doubters wrong over the next few months.

The 2025 season in Stillwater should bring an abundance of anxiety, excitement and any other feelings to the table.

After the Cowboys went 3-9 last season, there is almost no way of predicting what might happen for Mike Gundys team this fall.

Of course, there are a few things that could help predict where OSU might finish.

Even if there is a way to truly make an informed prediction about the Pokes, all of the moving parts of the offseason make it impossible to know how well everyone will fit under new coordinators Todd Grantham and Doug Meacham.

Where do the Cowboys stand in the FBS? Last season, OSU was among the worst teams in all of college football, with the defense ranking near the bottom of the entire FBS in a slew of categories.

With that season behind them, the Cowboys could bounce back in a big way, but their 3-9 campaign from a year ago will still haunt them, at least to begin the season.

Recently, ESPN put all 136 FBS teams into 20 tiers.

OSU came in at tier 14, with ESPN putting the Cowboys in the room for improvement category alongside five other squads, including some Big 12 company in Arizona, UCF and West Virginia.

As a member of the second-lowest tier with power conference teams, OSU has some clear hurdles to overcome in 2025.

Not only will the Cowboys need to meet internal expectations of making a bowl game, but they also have to deal with the noise of being projected as one of the worst teams in the country.

The anti-2024? Despite all of the general negativity surrounding OSUs upcoming season and the program in general, it is a breath of fresh air knowing there is a much better chance of the team being a surprise contender than a disappointment.

If the Cowboys can make some big plays and squeak out a few wins early in conference play, they might just be able to undo all of the problems that 2024 caused.

It will be hard for the Cowboys to truly ascend to Big 12 title contention next season, but there is certainly a chance that things simply go right in Stillwater.

The likeliest outcome is probably somewhere in the middle.

While OSU likely wont enter its 11th game in Big 12 title contention, it could still easily be bowl eligible by that point or sitting 5-5 with a legitimate shot at seven or eight wins..

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