With six games down and six to go, the Pokes have reached the halfway point in the season.
The good news? Oklahoma State is 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12. The defense has been impressive. Tyreek Hill is … very fast.
The bad news? OSU hasn’t played a quality, complete game since August 30th. The three conference wins were against the three worst teams in the Big 12. As a result, the second half of the season will feature a brutal schedule (OSU plays the top four teams in the Big 12 all on the road). The offense has been abysmal and the play calling has been confusing, at best.
The record looks good, but the remaining schedule is daunting. Let’s take a look at OSU’s final six games, and what we can expect from each matchup:
October 18 – at TCU
The Horned Frogs pulled off the upset against Oklahoma two weeks ago, but they return home after a crushing loss at Baylor last week. The Cowboys are catching the Horned Frogs at the right time. TCU has played back-to-back high intensity games and may be due for a letdown.
The Horned Frogs, like most years, have a stout defense. The offense has been surprisingly effective with QB Trevone Boykin limiting his turnovers.
Out of the four remaining road games, this is Oklahoma State’s best chance of getting a win.
Chance of victory: 50 %
October 25 – vs West Virginia
Homecoming in Stillwater is always a great week of festivities with alumni from across the nation coming back to the best town in America. But, it will be bittersweet to see former offensive coordinator Dana Holgerson coming home on the opposing sideline. With all the issues OSU has had on offense, maybe Boone can slip Dana some money so he stays in Stillwater for the rest of the year.
West Virginia is one of the easiest opponents of the second half of the season for the Cowboys, so this game is critical. The Cowboys play well at Boone Pickens Stadium and Homecoming should be no different.
Chance of victory: 80 %
November 1 – at Kansas State
Playing in Manhattan has been difficult for Oklahoma State, and this year will be no different. The Wildcats have a strong defense and talented skill players that will give the OSU defense some trouble. We will learn more about Kansas State after this weekend (K State plays at OU), but it’s safe to say that a trip to the Little Apple will be tough.
Chance of victory: 35 %
November 15 – vs Texas
Oklahoma State has played well against Texas lately and that should continue this year. The Longhorns have a good defense, but are a mess offensively. Halfway through the season, Texas is ranked 90th in passing yards, 101st in rushing yards and 114th in points scored per game in FBS. Even if the OSU offense struggles, it’s hard to see Texas putting up many points.
Chance of victory: 85 %
November 22 – at Baylor
The schedule gets real ugly here. This will be a battle of strengths with Baylor’s offense facing the young and talented OSU defense. If the Cowboys can limit Bryce Petty and his impressive offense, this will be closer than most expect. As TCU showed last week, Daxx Garman will have chances down field against the Baylor defense.
Chance of victory: 40 %
December 6 – at Oklahoma
Oklahoma has looked vulnerable in all three Big 12 games. The best chance for OSU is if Trevor Knight is still the starting QB when Bedlam rolls around. It’s looking more and more like Knight’s Sugar Bowl performance was an aberration and not a sign of things to come this year.
That being said, the Sooners have a stud running back and an opportunistic defense that could make Daxx Garman look silly.
Chance of victory: 30 %
