Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football Against The Elite
August 22, 2014 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER - The Oklahoma State football team opens the 2014 season against No. 1 Florida State on Aug. 30 at AT&T Stadium in the AdvoCare Cowboys Classic. As the top-ranked team in the land and the reigning national champions, the Seminoles have lofty credentials, but the Cowboys are not to be dismissed.
Coach Mike Gundy has built a strong culture around the Oklahoma State program and winning big games is very much a part of that culture. The Cowboys have 59 victories since 2008 to rank eighth nationally during that time frame and they have participated in bowl games after each of the past eight seasons. OSU is one of only two teams in the Big 12 with a winning record in conference play in each of the past six seasons.
Outstanding individual players have also made their mark on the overall culture of Cowboy football. OSU ranks fourth nationally with six first-round picks in the NFL Draft since 2009 and has produced 16 recognized All-Americans since 2008. Put simply, Gundy has attracted quality players to Stillwater and has done well in developing them. Though the 2014 team lacks experience, the overall talent level compares favorably with past Cowboy squads.
OSU has more than held its own against elite competition since 2008. During that time, the Cowboys have toppled four teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll, with three of those wins coming over teams ranked in the top five. Particularly notable is that three of those four wins came away from Stillwater. The Cowboys beat No. 2 Missouri in Columbia in 2008, beat No. 8 Texas A&M in College Station in 2011, beat No. 4 Stanford in the 2012 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and beat No. 3 Baylor in Stillwater in 2013.
Starting his 10th year as a head coach, Gundy owns 15 wins over teams ranked in the top 25. Among Big 12 coaches, only Bill Snyder (entering his 23rd year as a head coach) and Bob Stoops (entering his 16th year as a head coach) have more.
The AdvoCare Cowboys Classic duel with Florida State is Oklahoma State's 16th all-time matchup against a reigning national champion. Two of the previous such contests resulted in OSU victories. The Cowboys dumped 2000 champ Oklahoma by a 16-13 score in 2001 and handed the 1975 champion Sooners a 31-24 defeat in 1976. Both those wins came in Norman.
FSU is the reigning national champion and has a returning Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Jameis Winston. The Seminoles are a near-unanimous selection as the No. 1 team in the nation going into 2014. Florida State has earned respect.
Based on its body of work under Mike Gundy, so has Oklahoma State.
