This has been a season to forget for football fans in the Sooner State, and the school that shares the state slogan as its nickname is not the worst of it.
If you are a disheartened fan of Oklahoma Sooner football this season, you can take some solace in what is going on with in-state rival Oklahoma State. OU fans who are disgruntled and calling for heads to roll might be heartened to know that their Bedlam rival that resides up the road in Stillwater is sitting all by its lonesome in dead last in the Big 12 standings.
We're talking about a Cowboys team that had most of its offensive firepower returning in 2024 and was picked to finish third in the newly expanded 16-team Big 12 standings, according to the Big 12 Preseason Media Poll, and began the season ranked 17th in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25. Oklahoma State stands at 3-7 after 10 games and is winless against Big 12 opponents.
And like big brother Oklahoma, the current state could get a whole lot worse before it gets better. The Cowboys have two games remaining against Texas Tech and Colorado, teams that are a combined 13-6 overall and 9-4 in the conference. If Oklahoma State were to lose both games, the Cowboys would finish with nine consecutive losses, winless in the Big 12 for the first time in forever, and with the worst record (3-9, 0-9) in Mike Gundy's 20 seasons as head coach at his alma mater.
“In most cases, the people who are negative and voicing their opinions are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves, they’re not taking care of their own family.”
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) November 4, 2024
Mike Gundy goes on a rant about negativity around the program #OKState pic.twitter.com/GS6iy56RhY
Gundy is easily the most successful coach in Oklahoma State football history in terms of wins. Before this season, he had just one losing season (2005) and eight seasons with 10 or more wins. Needless to say, he has built up a lot more equity and goodwill at OSU than Brent Venables' goodwill deposits in his three seasons at Oklahoma.
Nevertheless, the longtime Cowboys' head coach is feeling the heat from Oklahoma State fans. This is not a good OSU team. While they have experienced many of the same problems as Oklahoma this season, the issues facing Oklahoma State seemingly are deeper and broader.
Gundy has always been sensitive to fans who are critical of Oklahoma State football, And as you might imagine the critics and naysayers are coming out in droves this season. Last week, Gundy fired back at complaining fans with a social media post that has fueled a giant backlash.
"In most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can't pay their own bills," the OSU head coach said. "They have an obligation to speak out ad complain about others because it makes them feel better. But then in the end, when they go to bed at night, they're the same failure they were before they said anything negative about anybody else."
Needless to say, Gundy's ill-informed comments only threw gasoline on an already raging firestorm. Gundy would be well advised to heed his own message, particularly the part about what you're left with after all the dust settles.
Gundy's job may not be in immediate danger, but it's pretty obvious that changes are in order, and sometimes the changing environment is best addressed by starting at the top.
You are what your record says you are, a wise old NFL coach once said, and OSU's record says the Cowboys are in more dire straits than the Sooners. Not that that provides a great deal of comfort for Sooner fans, but it does go to show, at least from an OU perspective, that things are never as good as they seem nor as bad as you think they are.