Bowl Projection: Oklahoma State vs. USC Bowl Matchup?

Bowl eligibility is on the horizon for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. They could reach the six-win mark as soon as Saturday, as they take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Stillwater for a homecoming matchup.

After a 2-2 start to the season, the Cowboys have come away from their bye week with a totally different energy, winning each of their last three games against solid teams.

Now, the Cowboys have a 5-2 record on their season and, as mentioned, could reach bowl eligibility as soon as Saturday. On the season, the Cowboys have matchups against Oklahoma and the four Big 12 newcomers. The Big 12 legacy teams have had the newcomers' numbers this far into the season.

At this point in the season, it seems incredibly likely that the Cowboys secure bowl eligibility, and they're included in the recent bowl projections. Brett McMurphy of Action Network released his bowl projections on Monday, which included the Pokes.

McMurphy projected Oklahoma State to take on the USC Trojans in the Valero Alama Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Antonio. 

All things considered, this would be incredibly ironic. With Lincoln Riley's departure from Oklahoma and Caleb Williams going with him, those two last played the Cowboys in the 2021 season when the Cowboys defeated the Sooners 37-33. 

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy would get another matchup against Riley and Williams as USC is having an underwhelming season considering where they were supposed to be this far in the season. USC has had back-to-back losses, coming against Notre Dame and Utah. 

This would be a fun matchup to watch, as Ollie Gordon and the offense have improved plenty since the beginning of the season, and it'd be interesting to see if they could keep up with Williams and the USC offense. With USC's defense being a major issue of there's, it could absolutely be a possibility.

Also, would Williams play? If he has his eyes set on the NFL draft, he could opt out of the bowl game and prioritize health. 

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