Oklahoma State is back in the preseason Coaches Poll conversation, but only barely.
The Cowboys landed in the “others receiving votes” group when the preseason poll came out Tuesday, collecting 22 points. That puts Oklahoma State at an unofficial No. 37, a modest sign of respect after the way the last two seasons have gone. For perspective, Missouri sits at No. 25 with 158 points, while the three teams just ahead of OSU are separated by fewer than 10 points.
It’s not the kind of placement anyone in Stillwater is hanging a banner over. But after the recent slide, showing up anywhere near the top 40 is at least something.
Oklahoma State’s last appearance in the Coaches Poll came in Week 5 of 2024, when the Cowboys checked in at No. 20. The fall was quick after that, as they slipped to the unofficial No. 34 spot the following week before dropping out entirely until Tuesday’s preseason release.
Now Eric Morris inherits a schedule that gives him very little room to ease in. A Week 2 meeting with No. 2 Oregon means he’ll either need to spring a major upset in his home debut or wait a little longer for Oklahoma State to work its way back into the official top 25.
The road doesn’t get much smoother after that. The Cowboys travel to No.
24 Houston on Oct. 17 and host No. 12 Texas Tech on Nov.
There is some good news in the Big 12 setup, at least from the poll’s point of view. Oklahoma State avoids the conference’s other two ranked teams, No.
15 BYU and No. 21 Utah.
Coaches also have the Cowboys slotted seventh in the league, behind TCU at No. 28 with 63 points and Arizona at No. 31 with 50. OSU does not play either of those teams during the regular season.
At the top of the poll, Ohio State opened at No. 1 with 38 first-place votes, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss. Alabama, Texas Tech, LSU, USC, BYU, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Washington, SMU, Utah, Iowa, Clemson, Houston and Missouri round out the rest of the top 25.
In Other News...
Former Beavers Are Making Their Mark All Over MLB
The latest run of major league highlights from former Oregon State players has been hard to miss. Matt Boyd and Drew Rasmussen each delivered seven-inning shutouts in recent games, a reminder of how much pitching talent has flowed through Corvallis and how quickly that Beaver pipeline can show up on a big league box score. Both arms have been especially sharp lately, with Boyd looking effective since returning from injury and Rasmussen building momentum over his last few starts.
The offensive side of the ledger has been just as busy, with Wade Meckler and Trevor Larnach each leaving the yard on solo homers over the weekend. Even beyond the power swings, former Beavers are stacking up meaningful contributions across MLB, from Boyds steady comeback to Rasmussens run of efficiency and Kwans notable jump at the plate since the All-Star break. It is the kind of spread-out success that keeps Oregon State fans checking scores all over the league. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Just Got An Early Reality Check In The New Pac-12
Boise State opened the preseason with the kind of respect that usually comes with a conference title run, landing as the favorite to win the first football season in the rebuilt Pac-12 in a media poll organized by Tyler King and filled out by multiple voters. Fresno State came in third, which gives the top of the league a familiar feel, but Oregon States placement at eighth is the number that stands out most for a program trying to navigate a brand-new landscape.
For the Beavers, it is an early reminder that reputation alone will not carry much weight in this version of the league. The poll does not decide anything on the field, of course, but it does offer a blunt snapshot of where Oregon State sits in the eyes of the conferences media watchers as the season approaches, and it leaves the Beavers with something to prove before the real standings ever take shape. [Read more 🡒]