STILLWATER – The email said “you’ve been updated on all accounts including the digital magazine and the magazines have been sent.” The message came from Todd at PhilSteele.com and it took me about 10 seconds to go to my account on philsteele.com and get into the digital copy of Phil Steele’s College Football ‘24 Preview. It is the best and most information-packed
Robert Allen - Pokes Report
Phil Steele 2024
magazine you can get on college football and it is literally like getting a media guide for all 134 Division I FBS football programs. But there is so much more like Phil Steele’s power ratings. He has nine of them. His rankings by schools, by conference, and by position groups. His All-American projections, all-conference projections (four teams deep), his NFL Draft prospects, his toughest schedules, his surprise teams, his turnover winners and losers. You name it and Phil Steele covers it.
I am proud to be one of the people that Phil Steele trusts and calls for information on Oklahoma State and the Big 12. So, let’s pick out some of my highlights from the first perusal through the 2024 publication.
Steele has two Oklahoma State players on his first-team All-American projections. He voted for Ollie Gordon II for the Doak Walker Award last season. He is a believer in Gordon. He also pays attention better than most national experts and he has Nick Martin as a first-team presseason All-American linebacker. Martin is a force on the defense and he is not a fluke. I’ve rarely seen as talented and gifted player work as hard each day at Martin.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Bowman will need to show more this season.
The position unit rankings for Oklahoma State range from feast to famine. Despite a stacked quarterback room, maybe one of the deepest in the country, Steele is waiting to see what Alan Bowman will show this season. Will he improve his play and, in particular, his touchdown to interception ratio (15-to-14 last season). He did not rank the OSU quarterbacks in his top 68.
The Oklahoma State receivers are ranked back at No. 46 nationally. Defensive line did not scratch the top 61 schools for Steele at that position. The secondary was fair as Steele ranked them No. 38. The Cowboys special teams came in at No. 69.
On the high side, Gordon and the running backs came in at No. 3. Steele said he thought Gordon could top his numbers of 1,732-yards and 6.1-ypc this season. He also had Trent Howland, the big bruising transfer from Indiana as part of the position group. That is because Steele waits and is so very active in finding out the results of the last transfer portal window.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Steele likes Gordon and the offensive line that blocks for him.
The offensive line was ranked No. 4 nationall. Steele noted, “They have an amazing 214 career starts.”
The linebackers were ranked No. 5 in the country as well. Steele notes Collin Oliver, Nick Martin, and the move of Kendal Daniels to linebacker along with the return of Justin Wright, a six-year player.
Steele believes, like we do at Pokes Report, that the Big 12 will be a very competitive jigshaw puzzle to predict. He has Utah winning, but Steele likes Oklahoma State and Kansas State to tie for second.
Robert Allen - Pokes Report
Phil Steele on the Big 12.
His prediction would mean that game between the Pokes and Cats in Manhattan in the second full week of Big 12 play would be a Championship Game participant tiebreaker. We had a four-way tie for first in our picks. Steele also has a tie for fourth, a three-way tie for seventh, and a three-way tie for tenth. We had a five-way tie for sixth and a three-way tie for thirteenth.
Steele has Oklahoma State as his No. 4 Surprise Team of the season. This is a category that Steele is an amazing high percentage in nailing. In his rankings, he has Oklahoma State No. 15 in his Preseason Top 40 and he has the Cowboys No. 17 in his Power Poll. You will need to get a copy to see why the difference and who the other teams Steele has in that poll and those rankings. Georgia and Ohio State are the universal top two across the country and Steele doesn’t see it differently.
Robert Allen - Pokes Report
Oklahoma State page 1.
The Oklahoma State preview pages, two pages as always, chalk full of information are amazingly accurate compared to the other magazines that are out.
As always, this is the magazine that your’s truly and almost everybody else that covers this sport in detail cannot be without. I’ve got mine on computer and the hard copy is coming. Just in time for plenty of study leading up to the Big 12 Media Days on July 9-10 and the upcoming season.
Thank you Phil Steele!
