The Oklahoma State Cowboys had their big chance to win a conference championship last season. However, they lost a late-season game against the Oklahoma Sooners which deprived them of the ability to be the best team in their own region. Now, Oklahoma State loses a lot of depth off its 2013 roster, and that’s going to be the biggest, tallest roadblock on the way to another Big 12 title.
Strengths
The Cowboys will still have a solid offense. The hope for the team is that it can become a truly great offense. It’s not a probability, at least not now, but it sure is a possibility. Clint Chelf was the quarterback who got hot late last season for Oklahoma State. That’s why the Cowboys almost won the Big 12. Quarterbacking and skill-position performances blended together, making Oklahoma State’s offense a well-oiled machine. This year’s quarterback isn’t Chelf, but J.W. Walsh has a lot of experience within the program and certainly learned a lot from what he saw from Chelf last season. Walsh, having received plenty of in-game repetitions last season, is not a quarterback for whom starting a game is going to be a completely novel sensation at the college level. He should have a reasonable amount of preparation, and that should make a positive difference for the Cowboys. Tyreek Hill is an extremely fast running back who could become the secret weapon for Oklahoma State this season.
Weaknesses
The Cowboys lose almost all of their secondary and a portion of their offensive line, with multiple starters departing. These changes on the roster represent the level of depletion that has to be adequately replaced in order to win a power conference such as the Big 12, and it’s uncertain as to whether the next guys on the depth chart are ready to step up. If they are, the season can work, but with Baylor and Oklahoma being powerful teams this year, the Cowboys are probably not likely to be able to meet that kind of opposition with all the resources they need.
Schedule
The Cowboys play two gimmie games in their non-conference schedule, against UTSA and Missouri State, but their other non-conference game is a sure loss, against defending national champion Florida State. The Cowboys then have to contend with the Big 12, which will be a rough beast for the team to tame. Oklahoma State starts out with the cushy part of the league schedule, against Iowa Stsate, Kansas, TCU, and West Virginia. However, the closing stretch is brutal: at Kansas State, home against Texas, at Baylor, at Oklahoma. This team will do well just to win one of those four games.
Outlook
The Cowboys are hurt in that they play the three toughest teams in the Big 12 (Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State) on the road. This team certainly won’t win more than eight games, and it’s probably going to stumble at least once along the way, which makes the under a good play.
Pick: Under 7.5 at -125
