Oklahoma State enters 2026 with a new face in charge and a schedule full of old reminders.
Eric Morris takes over in Stillwater after the Cowboys moved on from Mike Gundy last season, and he inherits a program that went 1-11 a year ago and 4-20 over the last two seasons. Morris is bringing a major overhaul with him, including nearly 20 players from North Texas, and this will be his first season as a power conference head coach.
Here’s a look back at how Oklahoma State fared the last time it saw each of its 12 opponents.
The Cowboys’ meeting with Tulsa was the one that brought the Gundy era to an end. Oklahoma State lost to the Golden Hurricane, 19-12, at home, and that defeat led to Gundy’s firing. Doug Meachem took over as interim coach, but he did not win a game before Morris was hired.
The trip to Oregon came just before that Tulsa loss, and it was rough from start to finish. The Ducks beat the Cowboys, 69-3, in a game that was essentially settled by halftime.
Murray State will visit Stillwater on Sept. 19, and that matchup will be the first between the two programs.
Oklahoma State’s last trip to Morgantown came in the game before this season’s return visit. West Virginia won that one, 38-14, and the Cowboys are still carrying an 18-game losing streak in Big 12 play.
The Knights and Cowboys have only met twice, both since UCF joined the conference in 2023. Their most recent meeting ended with UCF pulling out a 17-14 win in Orlando.
Houston was climbing toward a 10-win season when it came to Stillwater, and Oklahoma State was trying to move on from the Gundy years. The Cougars left with a 39-17 victory.
Colorado handled the Cowboys in a 52-0 rout in Boulder, a loss that closed out a season in which Oklahoma State dropped all nine of its league games. This year’s meeting will be in Stillwater, the first time the former Big 8 and Big 12 rivals have played there since 2009. The series goes back to 1920.
Iowa State finished last season by beating Oklahoma State, 20-13, in Stillwater. The Cowboys’ 18th straight Big 12 loss came in that game, though neither side knew at the time that the Cyclones would also lose their head coach later. The series dates to 1926.
Kansas State was the last team to visit Stillwater and leave with a win, taking a 14-6 decision. Chris Klieman later retired and was replaced by Collin Klein, who once faced the Cowboys as a player. This year’s game will be in Manhattan.
Texas Tech blew past Oklahoma State in Lubbock, 42-0, while the Red Raiders went on to win their first Big 12 title in program history. The two teams last met in Stillwater in 2024, when the Cowboys lost 56-48.
Arizona State was in the middle of its run to the Big 12 crown and a College Football Playoff berth when it beat Oklahoma State, 42-21. The teams have met six times.
Oklahoma State’s last trip to Lawrence ended in a 38-21 loss to Kansas. The rivalry between the schools stretches back to 1923.
In Other News...
Eric Morris Sent A Clear Message With Oklahoma States Media Days Group
The Big 12s release of its expected attendees for football media days offered a small but telling glimpse into how Eric Morris wants to present Oklahoma State heading into the summer spotlight. When the league gathers July 7 and 8 in Frisco, Texas, the Cowboys will be fronted by Morris and a four-man group that includes quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, defensive end Jaleel Johnson and linebacker Ethan Wesloski, a mix that points to offense, defense and leadership all getting some airtime.
There is also a clear thread running through the group. Three of those four players were with Morris last season at North Texas, while Johnson is the lone holdover from Stillwater, a setup that makes the Cowboys delegation feel less like a random sampling and more like a statement about continuity and familiarity. The event will be shown live on ESPNU and ESPN2, so the first public look at Morris version of Oklahoma State should come with plenty of attention attached. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Lutzs Rebuilt Roster Comes With One Huge NCAA Catch
Steve Lutzs offseason rebuild at Oklahoma State is already carrying an extra layer of roster management, because the NCAAs changing eligibility landscape is arriving right alongside it. The Cowboys have pieced together a new recruiting and transfer class for 2026-27, but the bigger question now is how the sports new 5-for-5 framework will sort out the players already in the program and the newcomers who are trying to fit into it.
The rule, which is set to remove most redshirts and give athletes five years to play five seasons, will begin affecting current players starting in fall 2027, with eligibility reviews coming sooner for some cases. For Oklahoma State, that means a few players could wind up with more college basketball ahead of them, while others are still waiting on NCAA decisions that could change how the roster looks long before the first ball is tipped. [Read more 🡒]