Oklahoma State Wraps Up 2024 Season at Colorado

Complete notes available here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (3-8 overall; 0-8 Big 12) plays its first Black Friday game in school history this week, closing out its 125th season at Colorado (8-3 overall; 6-2 Big 12) on November 29, with kickoff at Folsom Field set for 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. MT.

On the Air
The game will be streamed live on ABC with Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, and Quint Kessenich on the call. It will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Robert Allen reporting from the sideline. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app.

The Day After Thanksgiving
While Oklahoma State does have some history of playing on Thanksgiving Day (31 games from 1901-1943), the Cowboys have never played a game on Black Friday, so this week will mark the first time that OSU has seen the field on the unofficial holiday. Interestingly enough, the last time the Cowboys played on Thanksgiving was also in the state of Colorado, as the then-named Oklahoma A&M College Aggies won, 7-6, at Denver on Thanksgiving Day of 1943, defeating the Pioneers "in a snowstorm that at times reached near blizzard proportions" according to an AP recap of the game.

That Friday Feeling
Oklahoma State has an all-time record of 58-47-7 in Friday games, but the Cowboys have only played 16 Friday games since 1959 and just seven of those matchups occurred in the regular season. The last one was earlier this season against BYU, and 2024 marks OSU's first season with multiple regular-season Friday games since 1951. The complete list of OSU's Friday regular-season matchups since the end of Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as President of the United States:

Date	Opponent	Conf.	Result	Score	Site	OSU/Oppt. Rk.
9/14/2007	at Troy		L	23-41	A	NR/NR
10/8/2010	at Louisiana		W	54-28	A	22/NR
11/18/2011	at Iowa State	*	L 2ot	31-37	A	2/NR
9/8/2017	at South Alabama		W	44-7	A	11/NR
8/30/2019	at Oregon State		W	52-36	A	RV/NR
10/6/2023	KANSAS STATE	*	W	29-21	H	NR/RV
10/18/2024	at BYU	*	L	35-38	A	NR/13

The Series
Oklahoma State visits Colorado for the first time since 2008 this week. It renews a series with 47 games already played between the programs, including a stretch of games in 38 consecutive seasons from 1960 through 1997 as members of the Big Eight and Big 12. The first meeting between the teams was played in Oklahoma City in 1920 and the latest was played in San Antonio in 2016 - the only two neutral site matchups in series history. This year's matchup marks the first time the teams have played as conference opponents since 2009. Colorado leads the all-time series 26-20-1, but Oklahoma State has won each of the past three games. The Buffaloes also hold a 13-8 edge in Boulder, but the Cowboys have won each of the past two on the road, including a 42-14 win in 2004 and a 30-17 triumph in 2008. Coach Mike Gundy is 3-1 in his career against Colorado and Deion Sanders has not faced Oklahoma State during his coaching career.

Winning as an Underdog
When playing as an unranked team, Oklahoma State has won five of its past six and 11 of its past 15 games against AP Top 25 teams:

Date	Opponent	Conf.	Result	Score	Site	Oppt. AP Rk.
10/1/2016	TEXAS	*	W	49-31	H	22
10/29/2016	WEST VIRGINIA (HC)	*	W	37-20	H	10
10/27/2018	TEXAS (HC)	*	W	38-35	H	6
11/10/2018	at Oklahoma	*	L	47-48	A	6
11/17/2018	WEST VIRGINIA	*	W	45-41	H	7
12/31/2018	vs. Missouri		W	38-33	N	23
9/21/2019	at Texas	*	L	30-36	A	12
9/28/2019	KANSAS STATE	*	W	26-13	H	24
10/19/2019	BAYLOR (HC)	*	L	27-45	H	18
10/26/2019	at Iowa State	*	W	34-27	A	23
12/29/2020	vs. Miami (Fla.)		W	37-34	N	18
9/25/2021	KANSAS STATE	*	W	31-20	H	25
10/14/2023	KANSAS	*	W	39-32	H	23
11/4/2023	OKLAHOMA	*	W	27-24	H	10
10/18/2024	at BYU	*	L	35-38	A	13

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State is 3-8 on the year and wraps up its 2024 campaign with a trip to Colorado to close out OSU's 125th season of college football. The Cowboys have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries this year, as preseason All-Americans Collin Oliver and Nick Martin, safety Trey Rucker, safety Dylan Smith, right tackle Jake Springfield, left tackle Dalton Cooper, safety Cameron Epps, quarterback Garret Rangel, defensive end Jaleel Johnson, linebacker Justin Wright, receiver Da'Wain Lofton, receiver Talyn Shettron and others have all missed time this season. The setbacks have had an impact on the team, but there have been standouts who have played well. Wide receiver Brennan Presley has been the most consistent star, and he might garner All-America consideration with a strong finish. Last week he became the only Oklahoma State player ever to surpass 300 career receptions. He was already OSU's all-time leader in catches and had joined College Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas and Terry Miller as the only players in school history to reach 5,000 career all-purpose yards. He is the Power 4 active career leader in all-purpose yards and the only player in the FBS this season with at least 700 receiving yards, 200 kickoff return yards and 50 rushing yards. He is 15th in NCAA history with 307 career catches. On the year, he ranks No. 5 in the FBS with 82 catches and he needs just eight yards to becoming the first player in school history to record four seasons with 1,000 all-purpose yards. Safety Trey Rucker has been the statistical standout of the year on defense, as his average of 4.9 solo tackles per game ranks 18th among all FBS players.

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is not ranked, but it has been ranked in the top 15 this season in both the Associated Press poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll. Including 2024, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 15 of the past 17 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 17 years. OSU has been ranked in the top 25 every season since 2008. Although not in the College Football Playoff rankings, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in eight of the past 10 seasons. The Cowboys have also been included in 43 of the all-time CFP Rankings, which is among the most appearances in the country. Colorado is ranked No. 23 in the AP poll.

Every Home Game Sold Out in 2024
For the first time in program history, Oklahoma State sold every ticket for every home football game prior to the start of the season. It also marks the second consecutive season sellout for Cowboy football, though the 2023 sellouts were not completed prior to the season opener. It continues a trend of Oklahoma State producing one of the best home-field advantages in college football, as the Cowboys are 25-7 at home since the beginning of the 2020 season.

Continued Success
• Entering 2024, Oklahoma State made 18 consecutive bowl appearances and secured 18 consecutive winning seasons, both school-record streaks. OSU's bowl streak was the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS, and was the longest active streak for any school with the same head coach.
• Mike Gundy has coached the Cowboys to five New Year's Six bowl games since the 2009 season. The Pokes appeared in the 2010 Cotton Bowl, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, the 2014 Cotton Bowl, the 2016 Sugar Bowl and the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
• Since 2010, Oklahoma State has eight seasons with at least 10 wins, an outright Big 12 title (2011), a share of the Big 12 South title (2010) and two more appearances in the conference championship game. OSU reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
• Oklahoma State was one of only four teams to post a winning season every from 2010-23, joining Alabama, Boise State and Wisconsin. It was one of only two Power Five teams with winning seasons each of the past 18 years, joined by Wisconsin.
• Including 2024, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 15 of the past 17 seasons and reached the top 10 in 11 of those 17 years.
• Entering 2024, OSU had finished in the top three of the Big 12 in four of the past five seasons and has finished in the top three 10 times in the 13 seasons since the conference moved away from divisions.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Mark Mike Gundy's 41st career win vs. an AP Top 25 opponent. No other active coach has more.
• Make it 6-1 in its last seven and 12-4 in its last 16 games when playing as an unranked team against AP Top 25 opponents.
• Make it 3-4 in its past six road games against AP-ranked teams.
• Make it 11-7 in its past 18 and 20-12 in its past 32 games vs. AP-ranked teams.
• Make it 11-11 in its past 22 road games.
• Give it wins in 13 of its past 24 and in 26 of its past 40 games following a loss.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in November games to 42-34.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in Big 12 games to 103-71 and move him to one game away from tying Bill Snyder for the second-most Big 12 wins in conference history.
• Give it four straight wins over Colorado and three straight wins in Boulder.
• Improve its all-time record vs. Colorado to 21-26-1 and its record vs. CU in Boulder to 9-13.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record against Colorado to 4-1.
• Make it 35-20 in its past 55 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Brennan Presley has multiple catches in 41 straight games, the second longest active streak in the FBS.
• Trey Rucker has recorded at least 10 tackles in four of his 10 games played this season.
• Oklahoma State is 5-for-6 on two-point conversion attempts this season and the five successful two-point conversions are tied for the most in the FBS.
• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 100 yards in 13 of the past 22 games.
• OSU's offensive line has not allowed a sack in 11 of its past 21 games.
• OSU is 13-2 in the past 15 games when winning or tying the turnover battle.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 82-10 when winning the turnover battle.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 49-4 when not committing a turnover.
• OSU has held 35 of its past 51 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average entering the game.
• OSU has won 86 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS, the longest since at least 1980 and likely the longest in college football history. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, the streak begins at the same date and includes 94 games.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 45 of its past 69 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 52 of its past 63 games.
• OSU is 40-19 in its past 59 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 51-9 in its past 60 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• OSU has won five of its past seven overtime games.

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Players Mentioned

Dalton Cooper

Cameron Epps

Ollie Gordon II

Jaleel Johnson

Da'Wain Lofton

Nick Martin

Collin Oliver

Brennan Presley

Garret Rangel

Trey Rucker

Talyn Shettron

Dylan Smith

Jake Springfield

Justin Wright

Oklahoma State University Athletics