2011 and 2021 were two of the most experienced teams during the Gundy era and you saw the results of those two seasons!!!
Photo by Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Oklahoma State Football
How Much Does Experience Mean in College Football? Phil Steele Has Pokes Way Ahead
STILLWATER – It makes sense when you have a starting quarterback returning for his seventh season of college football that his team would be the most experienced of the 134 schools in Division I FBS college football. How does that happen anyway? You add the COVID-19 season the NCAA gave to all players in the 2020 season with a redshirt season, and then prove that two of your seasons were compromised by physical health or injuries and it adds up. Alan Bowman and his family hired an attorney to help with the process and I’m sure that encouraged the NCAA versus possibly going to litigation. Oklahoma State has 17 players that will be in their sixth-year or in the case of Bowman his seventh year of college football. Those kind of numbers make you the leader in experience.
Here are the top 10 and other major Division I conference leaders in experience for the coming season.
| Rank | School/Conf. |
Total Points |
Seniors Str’t - 2 Deep |
% Lettermen Ret - Rank |
% Yards Ret - Rank |
% Tackles Ret - Rank |
OL Career Str’ts - Rank |
Big Play D % - Rank |
| 1. | Okla.State/Big12 | 95.7 | 10 - 7 | 72.2 - 12 | 82.2 - 17 | 83.9 - 7 | 214 - 2 | 81.9 - 10 |
| 2. | Va.Tech/ACC | 85.5 | 13 - 4 | 79.7 - 2 | 92.1 - 3 | 72.9- 22 | 122 - 19 | 72/2 - 25 |
| 3. | Iowa St./Big 12 | 90.2 | 6 - 0 | 75.8 - 6 | 87.0 - 9 | 82.4 - 9 | 90 - 52 | 88.3 - 5 |
| 4. | Iowa/Big10 | 85.3 | 14 - 4 | 72.7 - 11 | 63.4 - 44 | 77.5 - 13 | 154 - 7 | 64.9 - 41 |
| 5. | Ark.State/SunBelt | 83.4 | 14 - 5 | 64 - 35 | 86.4 -10 | 74.1 - 19 | 76 - 73 | 72.1 - 26 |
| 6. | Hawaii/Mt.West | 83.3 | 9 - 11 | 66.7 - 26 | 92.2 - 2 | 93.8 - 1 | 47 - 111 | 46.4 - 94 |
| 7. | SMU/ACC | 82.3 | 13 - 8 | 67.7 - 23 | 93.0 - 1 | 73.1 - 20 | 120 - 21 | 31.9 - 119 |
| 8, | Rutgers/Big10 | 82.1 | 13 - 2 | 63.5 - 37 | 83.2 - 14 | 75.8 - 17 | 123 - 16 | 73.7 - 22 |
| 9. | USF/AAC | 81.9 | 11- 7 | 70.1 -15 | 88.4 - 6 | 64.8 - 42 | 59 - 94 | 66.1 - 37 |
| 10. | Stanford/ACC | 81.5 | 5 - 2 | 68.6 - 21 | 88.2 - 7 | 85.1 - 3 | 70 - 76 | 72.6 - 24 |
| 12. | W.Mich./MAC | 80.8 | 12 - 7 | 60.0 - 57 | 76.5 - 34 | 71.5 - 24 | 92 - 49 | 70.8 - 29 |
| 13. | Ms.State/SEC | 80.7 | 16 - 7 | 57.7 - 70 | 72.0 - 30 | 42.2 - 112 | 222 - 1 | 23.0 - 130 |
| 40. | SHSU/C-USA | 72.1 | 8 - 5 | 65.6 - 30 | 51.5 - 61 | 70.6 - 28 | 98 - 44 | 64.4 - 43 |
| 80. | UConn/Ind. | 64.9 | 8 - 6 | 52.2 - 98 | 38.8 - 93 | 55.7 - 75 | 80 - 63 | 56.3 - 65 |
| 121. | Wash.State/Pac-2 | 52.3 | 9 - 6 | 59.0 - 61 | 25.7 - 113 | 43.8 - 109 | 63 - 90 | 35.0 - 115 |
Oklahoma State doesn’t lead in any particular category, but they are in the top 20 in yards returning, tackles returning, career starts on the offensive line, and big plays on defense returning.
Robert Allen - Pokes Report
Phil Steele 2024
As we pointed out on Saturday when we first received our Phil Steele 2024 College Football Preview, he picks Oklahoma State No. 15 and No. 17 in the country in his Top 40 Poll and Power Ranking respectively. He picked Oklahoma State in a tie for second in the Big 12, but in every reference he cited the Cowboys experience and how that could help them wind up in the College Football Playoff.
In my opnion, experience doesn’t guarantee anything, but if it is combined with talent, which I think Oklahoma State has, it can be the determining factor.
Oklahoma State is in a strong situation with all that experience, which seems to show up more in adversity, in road games, and in crunch time of close games.
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