Oklahoma State is heading back to Texas with a lot more than geography on the line.
The Cowboys, now 4-1 and riding a four-game winning streak, travel to Houston on Saturday for a matchup that carries real weight in the Big 12 race. Houston is 5-1, ranked No. 18 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, and sits one spot ahead of OSU at No.
- With both teams in the thick of it, this one could help decide who gets another trip back to Texas for the Big 12 Championship Game on Friday, Dec.
The Cowboys’ turnaround has come with a Texas flavor. Eric Morris brought in 21 former North Texas players, and the move has paid off quickly. Now OSU gets another shot at a conference contender, and Morris knows the challenge only gets steeper from here.
“Obviously, we gotta reset really fast and get ready to go on the road and hopefully be a top-25 matchup, right?” Morris said.
“And be able to play at Houston at night, a team that's playing really good right now. So, yeah, it's not gonna get any easier in this conference.”
Houston has been tested only once, and that loss came by inches in a Friday night game at Texas Tech. Since then, the Cougars have won three in a row and picked up Big 12 victories over UCF and Kansas State. The teams have split their two meetings since Houston entered the conference, and the Cougars still hold the edge in the all-time series, 11-10-1.
Saturday’s game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at TDECU Stadium in Houston and will be shown on FOX. The radio call is on KXXY-FM 96.1. Houston is a 3.5-point favorite, and the over/under is 58.5.
Houston’s biggest offensive problem for opponents might be tight end Patrick Overmyer, who has become the Cougars’ top target. He leads the team with 400 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, he brings a size challenge OSU hasn’t seen at the position this season. He was everywhere last week against Kansas State, catching four touchdown passes.
The numbers suggest a shootout. Houston is averaging 40 points per game, just ahead of OSU’s 38.2. That puts extra pressure on the Cowboys’ defense, which has shown some cracks in Big 12 play, especially in first halves against West Virginia and UCF.
Still, OSU has its own offensive edge. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has been locked in since the opener, topping 300 passing yards in four straight games. The Cowboys have also scored at least 40 points in three straight, and with plenty of orange expected inside TDECU Stadium, they may have a chance to tilt the atmosphere early if the offense comes out firing.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Homecoming Clash With Colorado Carries One Frustrating Unknown
Oklahoma States homecoming weekend now comes with a little extra waiting. The Big 12 has already locked in one Week 8 kickoff and TV assignment for the 2026 season, with the Cowboys game against Houston slated for 6:30 p.m. on Fox in a Top 25 matchup, but the league is still sorting out the rest of the schedule puzzle around that date.
For the Cowboys, the more immediate frustration is tied to Colorado, the homecoming opponent whose time and television slot still are not set. The conference has a cluster of Week 8 games on six-day holds that will be finalized Sunday, leaving one of the seasons more notable home dates in limbo for now and putting a familiar kind of Big 12 uncertainty around a game Oklahoma State fans will circle well in advance. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Hawkins Could Help Oklahoma State Land Another Playmaker
Caleb Hawkins move from North Texas to Oklahoma State has already paid off for the Cowboys, giving them a runner who came back close to his hometown and high school and quickly became one of the most productive players on the roster. He leads Oklahoma State in rushing yards and touchdowns this season, which has only raised his profile inside the program as the kind of transfer who can make an immediate impact.
Now that success may have a ripple effect beyond Caleb himself. The Cowboys have also been working on the next Hawkins in the family tree, a versatile young recruit from Rock Creek High School who remains uncommitted and has recently taken a look at Stillwater, with the coaching staff seeing him as a potential fit in the offense. In a cycle where family ties and scheme fit often matter as much as any sales pitch, Oklahoma State has at least put itself in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
How Tarps Off Became An Oklahoma State Tradition Fans Love
A strange little bit of gameday theater turned into something bigger for Oklahoma State last season, when a fan-led movement known as "Tarps Off" started to take on a life of its own. What began in the stands gave the Cowboys an extra jolt of energy, helped juice the atmosphere around the stadium, and quickly became one of those crowd rituals people on campus started talking about long after the final whistle.
The idea spread well beyond Stillwater, popping up at other college venues and even showing up in MLB ballparks, which only added to the sense that Oklahoma State had stumbled into something uniquely its own. The timing mattered, too, because the growing buzz around the tradition coincided with better attendance and a stronger run for the team the following season, turning a quirky fan moment into part of the program's broader identity. [Read more 🡒]