Takeaways from Oklahoma State's 2024 Big 12 Football Schedule
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Oklahoma State’s complete schedule for 2024 is out, and there are a few things that stick out.
Although the Cowboys’ nonconference schedule was already known, the Big 12 released the 2024 slate on Tuesday. With four new teams coming into the conference next season, the Cowboys’ conference schedule looks much different than it has in years past.
Those differences include two new conference road tests. The first will be in Provo when OSU faces Brigham Young in mid-October.
The two teams played a classic double-overtime matchup in Stillwater to cap off the 2023 regular season. Ollie Gordon secured the Doak Walker Award with five touchdowns and helped send OSU to the Big 12 Championship Game.
While the Cowboys will have aspirations to return to the conference title game, they will end the regular season with their second new road matchup. That game will be on Friday, Nov. 29, at Colorado, which is back in the Big 12 after spending 13 seasons in the Pac-12.
Those two matchups are particularly noteworthy because OSU has struggled to win its first road matchup against a new conference opponent under Mike Gundy. Although there have only been four such matchups going into next season, OSU is 1-3.
With losses in their first Big 12 contests at TCU, West Virginia and UCF, it will be necessary for the Cowboys to take care of business on the road.
With their biggest rivals, Oklahoma and Texas, leaving the conference before the 2024 season, the Cowboys have an opportunity to form a new major rivalry. Among the top candidates are Texas Tech and Utah, which both visit Stillwater next season.
OSU's Nov. 23 matchup with Texas Tech will feature Alan Bowman's first game against his former team. It will also be Bowman's final home game, making the contest significant for several reasons.
Meanwhile, OSU will open conference play with Utah on Sept. 21, which could be a preview of the Big 12 Championship. If The Athletic’s too-early Top 25 holds true come September, it could be a top-10 matchup and give OSU its best chance to host College Gameday since 2017.
While there are three other Big 12 teams on that list, the Utes will be the only team the Cowboys face in their nine-game slate. While plenty can happen in the ever-evolving landscape of college football, OSU’s schedule could be among the easiest in the conference, making a third title game in three years a realistic goal.
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