The Oklahoma State Cowboys are headed back to bowl season for the first time since 2023, unless they manage to crash the College Football Playoff.
That much is already locked in after OSU’s 66-28 win over Kansas State pushed the Cowboys to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play. With seven bowl-eligible teams in the conference entering Week 11 and at least one of them eventually bound for the CFP, the Cowboys are now part of the mix for seven affiliated bowl spots.
The Big 12’s bowl lineup starts with the Alamo Bowl, then the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Texas Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Cactus Bowl, the ESPN Events pool of games and the Independence Bowl. Several outlets have already started projecting where Oklahoma State might land.
One ESPN analyst tied the Cowboys to the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the No. 2 bowl in the conference pecking order, with Wake Forest as the opponent. Those selections usually track with conference finish, but bowl games also have discretion in the process.
And with Oklahoma State’s offense bringing plenty of juice, the Pop-Tarts Bowl would have plenty to like. The Big 12 has won that game every year since it began.
OSU would likely need to win out to get that kind of placement. That’s the same game BYU reached last season after just missing the CFP.
Another ESPN analyst sent the Cowboys to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis against Auburn. That game sits fourth in the Big 12 order, and it becomes more realistic if Oklahoma State drops two of its final three games.
In that case, the bowls ahead of the Liberty would be chasing stronger résumés. Cincinnati landed there last year with a 7-5 record.
College Football News also slotted Oklahoma State into the Liberty Bowl, though it had the Cowboys facing South Carolina instead.
There’s also a case for Houston. CBS Sports projected Oklahoma State against Missouri in the Texas Bowl, which is third in the Big 12 pecking order.
That matchup would likely bring a strong OSU crowd. On3 also had the Cowboys and Missouri meeting there.
Houston was in that game last year, finished 9-3, and beat LSU to move to 10-3.
If the Cowboys do end up in Houston, it would carry a bit of symmetry. Their last bowl trip came in the 2023 Texas Bowl, when they beat Texas A&M under then-head coach Mike Gundy.
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