Oklahoma State’s name showed up in a place few people probably expected this preseason: the USA Today coaches poll.
The Cowboys did not crack the Top 25, but they did receive 22 votes in Tuesday’s preseason release, a notable number for a program that has struggled badly on the field over the last two years. Ohio State sat at No. 1, and four Big 12 teams made the poll, led by Texas Tech.
For Oklahoma State, the votes are a sign that coaches around the country are paying attention to what Eric Morris has done since taking over. Morris attacked the transfer portal hard, bringing in nearly 90 new players.
A major chunk of that haul came from North Texas, where he pulled nearly 20 players from Denton to Stillwater. Among the biggest additions were quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and wide receiver Wyatt Young.
That kind of roster overhaul clearly registered with voters. A team that went 1-11 last season getting any preseason votes is unusual; getting 22 of them is even more striking.
The Big 12 no longer puts out its own conference coaches poll. The league backed away from that because of concerns about how preseason rankings could shape national perception after Arizona State was picked No. 16 in the 2024 preseason poll and went on to win the league. The goal now is to avoid anything that could complicate the conference’s push for multiple College Football Playoff bids.
Even without a league poll, Tuesday’s national coaches poll still offered a useful snapshot of how Big 12 teams are viewed. Texas Tech came in at No. 12, followed by BYU at No.
15, Utah at No. 21 and Houston at No. 24.
Those were the four best teams in the conference last season.
TCU drew 63 votes, Arizona got 50, and Oklahoma State came next. By that measure, the Cowboys were viewed as the seventh-best team in the Big 12 heading into the season, with Arizona State and Kansas State behind them in the votes category.
Polls don’t decide games, and they won’t matter much once the season gets rolling. But they do get noticed.
For Oklahoma State, any early traction could help, especially in recruiting. Getting on coaches’ radar now only gives the Cowboys a better shot at turning that attention into something bigger later.
There’s a realistic path for Oklahoma State to open 4-1, with the one likely loss coming against Oregon. Coaches probably won’t hold a home loss to the Ducks against the Cowboys too harshly unless it turns into a blowout. If Oklahoma State handles Tulsa, Murray State, West Virginia and UCF, it could be in position to climb into the Top 25 before its mid-October meeting with Houston.
For now, the message is simple: the Cowboys have already gotten more respect than most would have predicted, and that matters.
In Other News...
Drew Mestemaker Gives Oklahoma State Fans Real Reason To Believe
Mel Kiper Jr.s latest quarterback forecast for the 2026 college football season gave Oklahoma State fans a legitimate reason to pay close attention, and Drew Mestemaker was part of the conversation. The ESPN draft analyst highlighted a group that mixes returning starters and transfer additions, with Mestemaker joining the likes of Ole Miss Trinidad Chambliss, Notre Dames Carr, Texas Manning and Oregons Moore as the kind of passer who could shape the next draft cycle.
For Oklahoma State, the nod matters because it puts Mestemaker in a conversation usually reserved for the sports biggest brands and brightest quarterbacks. Kipers ranking points to the kind of season profile that can turn a player into a real NFL prospect by the time the 2027 draft picture starts taking shape, and it gives the Cowboys a familiar kind of offseason currency: hope built around a quarterback with national recognition before the games even kick off. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State May Have Found A Scoring Threat Nobody Saw Coming
Jacie Hoyt is heading into her fifth season with Oklahoma State facing one of the more dramatic roster overhauls in the Big 12, with only one player back from last years NCAA tournament team. The Cowboys have added several transfers to reshape the group, including Audi Crooks, Liv McGill and Talexa Weeter, and the early buzz around summer workouts suggests there may be more scoring options in the mix than initially expected.
Sophomore LA Sneed singled out Weeter as someone who can stretch the floor and do a little bit of everything, which is the kind of skill set that can matter quickly on a new-look roster. Oklahoma State does not need every newcomer to carry the same load, but if Weeters production translates the way the staff seems to think it can, she could become one of those under-the-radar pieces that helps define how far this team goes. [Read more 🡒]