Post-spring college football rankings are interesting to follow each offseason because it gives a peak behind the curtain as to what the AP Top 25 Poll Preseason Rankings might look like. It's been the norm to see Oklahoma State ranked, which makes sense given their strong 2024 campaign, which saw them work their way to being a ranked program by the season's end.
With a plethora of talent from a season ago returning, the Cowboys project to be a similar, if not better, team. So, naturally, they're likely to be ranked in the first rankings of the season, as they have been in preseason rankings.
The most recent outlet to rank Oklahoma State in their post-spring rankings was The Sporting News, who gave the Cowboys a No. 19 ranking, just trailing former Bedlam foe Oklahoma.
"Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to 18 consecutive winning seasons, and now the chance to take over as the resident Big 12 power exists with Oklahoma and Texas off to the SEC. Will the Cowboys take advantage of that?" the Sporting News' Bill Bender wrote.
The Cowboys' consistency as a program is a big reason the team will be ranked heading into their 2024 campaign because it's more than likely that they'll be a better team with so much continuity.
"Quarterback Alan Bowman returned for a seventh season, and Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon – who rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 TDs – returned after briefly entering the transfer portal," Bender wrote. "Still, Oklahoma State needs to be better than a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 offense in order to make that move. Linebacker Nickolas Bowman – who had 140 tackles – also returned."
Returning talent is one thing. But the Cowboys are returning talent that won 10 games after a 2-2 start. They slowly figured things out and made the Big 12 title game. It's hard not to tab them as a ranked team. They're even going to lobby for a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
"Home games against Arkansas (Sept. 7), Utah (Sept. 21) and a road trip to Kansas State (Sept. 28) highlight a challenging first month of the season. The Cowboys have lost three of their last five trips to Manhattan," Bender continued.
The first month will be defining for the Pokes, as Bender alluded to, but they've shown they can bounce back from a slow start to the season.
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KADE KIMBLE
Kade is a strategic communications student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he also minors in Sports Management. He has been covering the Oklahoma City Thunder with InsidetheThunder.com since the 2022 season after having followed the team since its early days.
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