The obvious topic followed Mike Gundy into the TNT studio on Saturday.
For the first time since his firing last year, the former Oklahoma State head coach sat down as an analyst for a college football pregame and postgame show, working the lead-up and aftermath of the Arizona-West Virginia game. It was a new setting, but not an unfamiliar one for a man whose connection to the Cowboys runs far deeper than a coaching job.
Gundy played at Oklahoma State, served there as an assistant, and then spent more than 20 years as the program’s head coach. So when the conversation turned to what it felt like to be in a studio instead of on a sideline - especially the OSU sideline he paced for decades - he had plenty to say.
“We had been very fortunate to be there a long time,” Gundy said. “I came there in 1986 as a player, and Oklahoma State was good enough to give me a scholarship, get a degree, nice enough to make me a coach and eventually as a head coach.
The fondest memories of my life. And just, great people, great organization.
Stillwater, Oklahoma, is a beautiful place. And memories of a lifetime.
And very, very thankful for Oklahoma State. And excited about what they’re doing now.”
Gundy also made sure the wardrobe matched the message. He wore orange in the studio, and he said that was no accident.
Saturday marked his first studio appearance this season. Gundy has shown up on television before, including as a guest analyst on the coaches broadcast during the College Football Playoff championship game, and those performances drew strong reviews. Earlier this year, though, he reportedly passed on both weekend studio work with ESPN and game analyst opportunities with Fox.
Whether this turns into something regular remains to be seen.
Gundy was let go after three games last season, when Oklahoma State started 1-2. The Cowboys were 4-11 over his final 15 games dating back to the start of the 2024 season. Oklahoma State hired Eric Morris in December to take over.
This year is the first since 1989 that Gundy hasn’t been coaching in some capacity.
His run at OSU was a long one: 170-90 as head coach, the program’s only Big 12 title coming in 2011, and 18 straight bowl trips along the way.
In Other News...
Houston Just Showed How Dangerous This Big 12 Run Could Get
Week 6 of the 2026 Big 12 season started to sort out the leagues upper tier, and Oklahoma State was right in the middle of it. BYU, Arizona, Houston and Utah all picked up wins as the conference race began to narrow, while the Cowboys added another important result of their own by getting past UCF. The bigger picture matters here: the teams separating from the pack are starting to look less like a short-term hot streak and more like the early shape of the championship chase.
Oklahoma States comeback fit the tone of a weekend when margin for error was shrinking across the league. Houstons win over Kansas State only sharpened the sense that the Big 12 race could get crowded in a hurry, with every contender being asked to answer the same question week after week: are they good enough to keep pace when the conference starts turning on a single play? The Cowboys handled their side of that test, and now the pressure only increases as the race tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Gundy Just Reminded Oklahoma State Why His Exit Still Hurts
Mike Gundy popped up on TNTs Big 12 pregame show and, for Oklahoma State fans, it was a reminder of just how much of his life was tied to Stillwater. He went from being a player there to spending more than two decades as the Cowboys head coach, building a rsum that included a Big 12 Championship and a long stretch of winning seasons.
Now part of college football coverage for TNT, Gundy was looking back on an era that defined him as much as it did the program. The public separation may be new, but the connection clearly is not, and for Oklahoma State, hearing him reflect on that long run only underscores how much history left the building when he did. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Has Real Momentum After Its Cleanest Win Yet
Oklahoma States four-game winning streak now comes with a performance that looked a lot closer to a complete team effort. The Cowboys handled UCF 42-28, and the biggest sign of progress came from the passing game, where Drew Mestemaker stayed in rhythm and moved the offense efficiently while the rest of the roster chipped in across the board.
There were still early hiccups, but the Cowboys never let them derail the afternoon, which has become a meaningful sign for a team trying to build something sturdier as the season goes on. Eric Morris and several players pointed to individual and unit-level growth after the win, and the next question is whether Oklahoma State can keep that same balance as the schedule keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]