Colorado may have the respect of Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris, but the numbers still paint a pretty bleak picture for the Buffaloes.
Morris, whose team hosts Colorado on Oct. 24 in Stillwater, called Deion Sanders’ group the “best two-win team” in the country after watching a Buffaloes team on a four-game losing streak push Utah to the edge. That performance did move Colorado in ESPN’s Football Power Index, but only a little. The Buffaloes climbed from 71st to 64th overall, and they still sit 14th among Big 12 teams.
That jump came on the heels of a near-upset in Salt Lake City. Colorado showed it could hang with a highly ranked opponent, and Sanders saw a very different mood after that game at Folsom Field, including players in tears because they felt they let one get away. The Buffaloes now head into a road test that could tell the story of where this season goes next.
There is at least one reason Colorado can point to some history here. The last time the Buffs entered a week at 2-4 overall, they responded by stunning a nationally ranked Iowa State team in October and winning 24-17 at home. That’s the kind of reminder that this team has at least flashed the ability to bounce back when the situation looks grim.
Oklahoma State, though, comes into this one with a stronger analytical profile. The Cowboys own the seventh-best FPI mark in the Big 12 and rank 40th nationally.
Morris has already given the program a jolt after taking over for longtime coach and legend Mike Gundy, and the results showed fast. Oklahoma State cracked the top 25 after beating then-No.
2 Oregon, 39-31, in Week 2.
The Cowboys have also been through their own tense finish lately. On Oct. 17, they nearly knocked off No.
20 Houston on the road before falling 35-32. That makes this matchup feel like a meeting of two teams coming off painful losses to ranked opponents, each trying to reset before the next punch lands.
For Colorado, the bigger concern is the math. The FPI gives the Buffaloes just a 13.8 percent chance to reach six wins, the threshold needed for bowl eligibility. Their chances of winning the Big 12 or making the playoff are already listed at zero percent, and their shot at winning out sits at 0.3 percent.
The schedule does not make life easy either. Colorado gets an unranked Oklahoma State team next, and only one more game remains against a top-25 opponent in Houston.
But the Buffs still have three 4-2 teams left on the slate, including the Cowboys. That means the Oct. 24 result could push Colorado’s outlook up - or drag it even further down.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Heads To Colorado With One Warning Fans Cant Ignore
Colorado may sit at two wins, but Eric Morris is treating this trip like anything but a soft landing spot. The Oklahoma State coach called the Buffaloes the best two-win team in the nation, pointing to how competitive they have been and how much experience they bring to the field. For a Cowboys team trying to steady itself, that kind of warning matters, especially with a conference road game waiting in Boulder.
Oklahoma State will also have to navigate the matchup without senior safety Mose Phillips III, who is out because of a shoulder injury. That leaves another hole in a defense already asked to do plenty, while the Cowboys continue sorting out special teams after Braylin Presley stepped in as a kick returner. Those are the kinds of details that can swing a tight game, and they are part of why this visit feels a lot less comfortable than Colorados record might suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Ethan Wesloski Just Put Oklahoma State On A National Stage
Ethan Wesloski has already given Oklahoma State plenty to feel good about on the field, and now he has put the program in the national conversation for something bigger. The Cowboys linebacker was named one of the finalists for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy, the award that recognizes the rare blend of academic success, football production and leadership that coaches love to point to when they talk about the complete college player.
Wesloskis path makes the honor even more notable. He graduated magna cum laude from North Texas and is now working on a masters degree while also making himself a central part of Oklahoma States defense this season. The finalists will gather at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in December, where the winner will be announced, and Wesloski has positioned himself as one of the names worth watching when that night arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Faces A Big Test After Last Weeks Troubling Questions
Oklahoma State heads into Saturdays Big 12 matchup with Colorado still sorting through the fallout from last weeks loss to Houston, and the Cowboys will have to do it without one of their key defensive pieces. Coach Eric Morris pointed to the defensive line and quarterback Drew Mestemakers play as areas that drew his attention after the setback, a reminder that this group is still trying to steady itself before the schedule tightens any further.
Colorado brings its own questions into the game, even as Deion Sanders has continued to back quarterback Isaac Wilson through the early part of the week. The Buffaloes also have uncertainty in the backfield, with running back Micah Welchs status still up in the air after missing practice, leaving both sides with lineup concerns to manage in a conference game that already has a little extra edge. [Read more 🡒]