It’s long past time to take notice of Oklahoma State.
In what has been a chaotic season, the Cowboys have a case to be in the tier behind Georgia. After a win at Texas, they have moved up to No. 5 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 130.
Simply put, Oklahoma State’s resume is there. Wins against Baylor (now ranked), at Texas and at Boise State are notable victories. Some wins have been close, but the defense is one of the best in the country, and the Cowboys are clearly getting better each week. They held Texas to six yards of offense in the fourth quarter on Saturday, sparking a comeback win. The Longhorns had been scoring 44.5 points per game and were held to 24, and they went 4-for-14 on third down.
Oklahoma State has held 17 consecutive opponents to less than 50 percent on third downs and 15 of its past 17 Big 12 opponents below their scoring average. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles should be a Broyles Award contender right now.
As for other teams in the top 10, Penn State has the Iowa loss. Oregon has the Ohio State win, but the loss to Stanford. Ohio State struggled with Tulsa just like Oklahoma State did. Michigan doesn’t have a win against a Power 5 team with a winning record. Michigan State doesn’t have any victories against winning teams.
In a crazy year with all kinds of upsets, the top five and the top 10 have to be filled by some combination of teams. Why not Oklahoma State right now? This week’s trip to Iowa State will be difficult — the Cyclones are 6.5-point favorites — but it’s fun to imagine what Bedlam against Oklahoma could be in late November.
1. UGA
2. Cincy
3. OU
4. Bama
5. OKState
6. Penn St
7. Oregon
8. Ohio St
9. Michigan
10. Mich St
11. Iowa
12. Wake
13. Ole Miss
14. Kentucky
15. Coastal
24. Baylor
30. Texas
42. Iowa St
45. Texas Tech
47. TCU
49. KState
54. Houston
55. UCF
66. WVU
114. Kansas
130. Arizona
theathletic.com
In what has been a chaotic season, the Cowboys have a case to be in the tier behind Georgia. After a win at Texas, they have moved up to No. 5 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 130.
Simply put, Oklahoma State’s resume is there. Wins against Baylor (now ranked), at Texas and at Boise State are notable victories. Some wins have been close, but the defense is one of the best in the country, and the Cowboys are clearly getting better each week. They held Texas to six yards of offense in the fourth quarter on Saturday, sparking a comeback win. The Longhorns had been scoring 44.5 points per game and were held to 24, and they went 4-for-14 on third down.
Oklahoma State has held 17 consecutive opponents to less than 50 percent on third downs and 15 of its past 17 Big 12 opponents below their scoring average. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles should be a Broyles Award contender right now.
As for other teams in the top 10, Penn State has the Iowa loss. Oregon has the Ohio State win, but the loss to Stanford. Ohio State struggled with Tulsa just like Oklahoma State did. Michigan doesn’t have a win against a Power 5 team with a winning record. Michigan State doesn’t have any victories against winning teams.
In a crazy year with all kinds of upsets, the top five and the top 10 have to be filled by some combination of teams. Why not Oklahoma State right now? This week’s trip to Iowa State will be difficult — the Cyclones are 6.5-point favorites — but it’s fun to imagine what Bedlam against Oklahoma could be in late November.
1. UGA
2. Cincy
3. OU
4. Bama
5. OKState
6. Penn St
7. Oregon
8. Ohio St
9. Michigan
10. Mich St
11. Iowa
12. Wake
13. Ole Miss
14. Kentucky
15. Coastal
24. Baylor
30. Texas
42. Iowa St
45. Texas Tech
47. TCU
49. KState
54. Houston
55. UCF
66. WVU
114. Kansas
130. Arizona
The Athletic 130 college football rankings: Oklahoma State quietly building resume that deserves attention
In what has been a chaotic season, the Cowboys have a case to be in the top five in the tier behind Georgia.
theathletic.com
