Where Oklahoma State Ranks In USA Today's Post-Spring Rankings

STILLWATER – Every year post spring football, USA Today releases its re-ranking of all 134 FBS football teams. They base these rankings, albeit based on unproven results in most cases, on last year’s performances and who each team returns. 

As for Oklahoma State, they’re coming off a 10-win season, which included wins over Oklahoma and Texas A&M and an appearance in the Big 12 title game, and Mike Gundy and Co. return 20+ starters, including the best running back in college football, Ollie Gordon.

So, it might come as a surprise that the writers at USA Today have the Pokes ranked No. 28 in their post-spring rankings, with four Big 12 teams ahead of them in Utah (15), Kansas State (19), Kansas (23) and Iowa State (27).

The rest of the Big 12 ranks as follows: TCU (36), Arizona (40), UCF (41), West Virginia (42), Texas Tech (45), BYU (66), Colorado (76), Houston (78), Baylor (84) and Cincinnati (111).

But USA Today isn’t the only publication tabbing the Cowboys down in the rankings. Lindy’s Preseason College Football Preview has Oklahoma State winning the Big 12, ranked No. 12 in the nation and gaining a bye in the CFP as the Big 12 Champion. You can read about the various outlets and their rankings in our article from early May. 

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Vegas also have the Cowboys at just 7.5 wins going into the season with a team which returns, like we mention above, 20+ starters. When you look at the Pokes’ offense, quarterback Alan Bowman, running back, and reigning Doak Walker Award winner, Ollie Gordon, De’Zhaun Stribling, Brennan Presley, Rashod Owens, and the entire starting offensive line return. 

When you look at the defensive side of the ball, starters like Collin Oliver, Kendall Daniels, Korie Black, Justin Kirkland and Collin Clay all returning, just to name a few defensive players.

You can read our exclusive player/position breakdowns here:

Linebackers

Tight ends

Corners

Running backs

Defensive line

Wide receivers

Defensive end

Obviously, this isn’t a complete list of previews as we’ll be putting out the rest of the positions in the coming weeks.

When you take a deep dive into things, it’s hard to see where Oklahoma State doesn’t finish in the top two of the conference. But going off the past 10 years or so, Mike Gundy and Cowboys seem to do best when they enter the season as underdogs and flying under the radar.