Oklahoma State Ranked Ridiculously Low in Big 12 Tailgate Rankings

STILLWATER – As we inch closer and closer to the start of another college football season, it’s time to start cleaning off your tailgate equipment because Oklahoma State’s September 1 season opener against Central Michigan will be here before you know it.

Pokes Report publisher Robert Allen sent me an article late last week that should certainly be of interest to Cowboy football fans.

It comes from bookies.com, a website dedicated to sports gambling, and it ranks the best pregame experience for all current Big 12 schools.

This is bookies.com’s criteria in compiling a “comprehensive list of the top Big 12 football pregame destinations,” with each category receiving a possible 10 points for a max total of 40 points:

• Location: Close to the action, accessible to fans
• Tailgating: The ability to park and enjoy a crisp fall day with a beverage and grill
• Entertainment Around Stadium: A vibrant bar and restaurant scene within walking distance to your seat
• Family Sentiment: Is the area safe and entertaining for kids and those with kids?

Some of these decisions make a lot of sense, like OU and Texas receiving and 9 and 10 respectively for entertainment, as well as the same rankings for location, as both are situated in major metropolitan areas.

They gave Oklahoma State a six for location, an eight for tailgating, which is fine until you realize they gave WVU a 10. For entertainment they gave four points and family sentiment received just three points for a grand total of 21 points, putting Oklahoma State in sixth place in the Big 12 for pregame experience.

Is Stillwater like Austin? No, but I suppose we’re just going to forget about ‘The Strip’ and the handful of restaurants surrounding campus.

This is how they list the best Big 12 football pregames:

1. Oklahoma
2. Texas
3. Kansas State
4. Texas Tech
5. West Virginia
6. Oklahoma State
7. TCU
8. Kansas
9. Baylor
10. Iowa State

If you ask any Big 12 fan that travels to the other schools for games, or any media member that travels to cover games, there’s three schools that top the actual list: Iowa State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, and not necessarily in that order.

As OSU fans, and quite a few fans from around the Big 12 know, Oklahoma State has an insane pregame experience. Anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 people tailgate all across campus starting hours before kickoff and let’s be honest, there’s definitely people that start the night before.

Then you have ‘The Walk’ a few hours before kickoff, an event in which thousands upon thousands of OSU fans line Hester St. as the football team leaves the Atherton Hotel and walks to the stadium.

"Well, our game day is awesome,” said head coach Mike Gundy. “Coach [Les] Miles started ‘The Walk’ in whatever year, and I’m glad you told me that, I was unaware of that, I didn’t realize it was 20 years. So, on game day now, I know in the years past, we have 35,000-somewhat registered tailgaters now that we know are on campus. They have to keep track of all that for security and things like that, so I was told 35 [thousand], and then numbers are rising based on almost somewhat limited space. We don’t really have as much space anymore. So, it’s a great tradition, great idea coach Miles had, and then it gives the fans a chance to see the players on game day and the little kids to see them face-to-face and all that, so it’s been pretty cool. It’s been a really good tradition. We’ve transitioned the game day here over the last 12 years to what would be comparable to pretty much any game day anywhere in the country. Starting on Thursday night, tent setups obviously Friday, and then Saturday and then into the game."

Are there other Big 12 schools with better entertainment than Oklahoma State? Sure, there’s no question. But to say Oklahoma State has the sixth-best pregame experience in the Big 12? There’s no chance.