Kickoff: 2:30 PM CT
Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, FL)
Television: ESPN
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Twitter: Follow @HeartlandPokes for live tweets during the game
The Oklahoma State Cowboy football team is riding high on 5 straight wins, including an incredible 27-24 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners last weekend in what has been named the Last Bedlam. Ollie Gordon is currently carrying the label of “the Best Back in America,” and a team that looked lost and without direction just a couple of months ago is now in the driver’s seat to make it to the Big 12 Championship.
If the Cowboys win out these next few weeks, then they will be playing in Arlington, Texas for a shot at a conference title, but in order to do that, they need to take care of business, starting today with the University of Central Florida Knights. The Knights are one of the newcomers in the Big 12, and this marks the first ever meeting between the two teams.
UCF started off the season at 3-0, but since then, they have managed just a single win in conference play, a 28-26 win last weekend over the Big 12’s worst Cincinnati. The Cowboys are just a slight favorite over the Knights, but Oklahoma State should be able to go out on the road and take care of business to continue their trek towards the most surprising season in quite some time.
How the Cowboys Win
Oklahoma State is going to have to get some stops today if they want to beat the Knights. UCF hasn’t won many games, but they have done a lot of damage on the offensive end, so the Cowboys would benefit from winning another one of those turnover battles they have become so good at lately. On the other side of the ball, the Knights have the worst rushing defense in the conference, so today is likely a good day to feed Ollie Gordon while giving Alan Bowman some options to throw the ball at key moments.
How the Knights Win
The strategy for UCF to win this one is as simple as stopping Ollie Gordon. Unfortunately for the Knights, that’s not exactly an easy task. The Knights are probably going to score some points, but that won’t matter if they can’t keep the Cowboys out of the end zone, and based on how they have fared in conference play, they’re going to have a difficult time doing that against the best running back in America.
Odds & Predictions
Staff Score Predictions
| Craig | 35-24 Oklahoma State |
| Matt | 37-26 Oklahoma State |
| Zack | 38-28 Oklahoma State |
An Oklahoma State Win Would…
- Give the Cowboys at least eight wins for the 13th time in Mike Gundy’s tenure as head coach.
- Mark OSU’s sixth-straight conference win, matching the ninth-longest streak in school history and the longest since a seven-game stretch from October 2021 – October 2022.
- Improve Mike Gundy’s record in Big 12 games to 101-62, moving him closer to matching Bill Snyder’s 104 wins for the second most in the history of the conference.
- Make the Cowboys 29-10 in its past 39 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.
- Make the Cowboys 9-6 in its past 15 road games.
- Make the Cowboys 155-72 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
- Make the Cowboys 142-43 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
- Make the Cowboys 92-23 in its past 115 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating to 2010.
Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
- Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 100 yards in six straight games.
- Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 270 yards in two of the past three games.
- OSU has forced 13 turnovers and only surrendered five turnovers in the past five games.
- OSU’s offensive line has not allowed a sack in three straight games nor in four of its past five games.
- OSU has held 34 of its past 39 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average entering the game.
- OSU has won 85 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 and longest since at least 1980. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, the streak begins at the same date and includes 92 games.
- The Cowboy defense has produced a shutout half in two games this season.
- OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 37 of its past 53 games.
- OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 44 of its past 47 games.
- OSU is 37-16 in its past 53 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
- OSU is 48-8 in its past 56 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
- Dating back to 2005, OSU is 48-4 when not committing a turnover.
- Dating back to 2008, OSU is 79-8 when winning the turnover battle.
- OSU has won three of its past five overtime games.
- Over the past 46 games, OSU has held opponents to 213-for-704 (30.3%) on third down.
- OSU has held its opponents to just 3-of-18 on fourth down attempts this season – the No. 2 percentage in the nation.