Season Predictions: The PFB Staff Predicts OSU’s Record, MVPs and More for the 2024 Season

It’s game week.

Oklahoma State opens its 2024 season at 1 p.m. Saturday when the Cowboys host two-time defending FCS champ South Dakota State. With the season nearly here, we thought it was time to lay out our predictions for what looks to be a fun year of football.

Offensive MVP

Scott: Ollie Gordon — How could it not be? If this isn’t Ollie Gordon, something probably went wrong. This team just seems set up for Gordon to run the show. He has a veteran offensive line for starters, but teams could be cautious to fill the box too much for fear of leaving Brennan Presley, Rashod Owens and De’Zhaun Stribling too much space.

Cox: Ollie Gordon — It’s hard for me not to pick the QB as MVP, unless we are dealing with a transcendent talent like Ollie. He was the engine that made the offense run, and he’s so good that we probably won’t realize just how much effect he has on opposing defenses and, in turn, the rest of OSU’s attack.

Gregory: Ollie Gordon — This time last year I was worried I was going overboard with my Ollie Gordon hype. I picked him as my MVP, and he wasn’t even OSU’s top running back yet. Now, everyone knows he’s the best player on this team, and he has all of his linemen back. A lot has changed since the last time we did this, but not my opinion on the best running back in the country. A running back won’t win the Heisman, but Ollie will still be in NYC in December.

Defensive MVP

Scott: Nick Martin — The man had 140 tackles as a redshirt sophomore. What else is there to say?

Cox: Nick Martin — Again, a bit of low-hanging fruit, but he gets his mitts on a lot of ball-carriers (a Big 12-leading 140 last year).

Gregory: Collin Oliver — It’s hard to believe Collin Oliver is a senior, but time flies when you’re winning Bedlams. I expect the last season of Oliver to be his best as he climbs up NFL Draft boards. Hopefully Oliver spends more time on the edge going after the QB than at linebacker, and if so, he’ll go down as one of the best pass rushers to come from OSU.

Receiving Leader

Scott: Brennan Presley — I thought I was going to take De’Zhaun Stribling here, but the more I thought about it, the more I leaned Presley. There were times last season where Kasey Dunn force-fed the Bixby speedster. He had 15 catches against Houston and 16 in the Texas Bowl against Texas A&M. In games Presley had more than five catches last season, OSU was 7-1. In games he had five or fewer, OSU was 3-3. I don’t think that’s a coincidence, and I think 2024 is the year Presley finally captures that elusive 1,000-yard season.

Cox: Brennan Presley — I could make a case for De’Zhaun Stribling or Rashod Owens, but I think Presley is (somehow) quietly one of the most dynamic players in the Big 12, and OSU is going to continue to get the ball in his hands when possible.

Gregory: De’Zhaun Stribling — I really wanted to go Brennan Presley here, and though I believe he’ll get his 1,000 yards, Stribling just has too much talent not to take over. This offense and Alan Bowman will be good enough for a pair of 1,000-yard receivers, with Stribling hauling in the most touchdowns.

Second-Leading Rusher

Scott: Sesi Vailahi — I might’ve cheated and saw who the other two picked before making my selection, but I still believe in Vailahi. He was thrown into some big spots last season — most notably the Big 12 championship game, where he was Gordon’s backup. His six carries for 27 yards won’t totally jump off the page, but he had a sense of fearlessness about him that I think will help him take advantage of the carries he is given.

Cox: Trent Howland — I know he sits behind Sesi Vailahi on the depth chart, but I’m leaning on what Howland could potentially bring to the offense — his experience leading a Power Four conference backfield and his size, listed at 6-3 and 240 pounds, a nice thunder to Gordon’s lightning.

Gregory: Trent Howland — I honestly don’t know why, but I really like Trent Howland. Maybe it’s just a gut feeling. Or, dare I say, he reminds me of Ollie Gordon. Howland will get fans excited to have him as the lead back next season when Gordon is scoring TDs in the NFL.

Top Three Tacklers

Scott: Nick Martin, Kendal Daniels and Lyrik Rawls — This prompt was tougher than I initially thought it would be. Everyone is rightly going to have Nick Martin. How could you not? He tackled 140 people last year. Then I’m going with Kendal Daniels for two reasons. The first is that he was OSU’s second-leading tackler last season with 105 tackles. The second is that with him playing some linebacker in 2024, he should be closer to the ball to make more plays. But my third spot was tough. Instead of Trey Rucker (who had 100 tackles last season), I went with the returning Lyrik Rawls, who was listed at rover alongside Dylan Smith on OSU’s two-deep. Rawls has a high ceiling and was showing it early last season before injury cut things short.

Cox: Nick Martin, Justin Wright and Kendal Daniels — Wright led Tulsa in tackles the two years before he got to Stillwater and was almost immediately sidelined. And with Daniels making the move to LB, he’s got the potential to improve upon his 105 takedowns from last year. And I’m not including Trey Rucker who also hit triple digits last year.

Gregory: Collin Oliver, Nick Martin and Kendal Daniels — What a year for OSU’s linebackers, apparently. I’ve already said how high I am on Oliver this season. Martin is a tackling machine (see 2023), so you can’t not include him. And Daniels closer to the line — oh, yeah.

Sack Leader

Scott: Collin Oliver — I think a portion of OSU’s defensive issues from last season came from a lack of pressure — which is why I think Oliver is going to spend more time coming off the edge in 2024. Oliver has a chance to become OSU’s all-time leader in sacks, and in a world of sixth-year seniors, Oliver could complete that task in his fourth season. I think he makes a run at Leslie O’Neal’s record (34 sacks to Oliver’s 22.5).

Cox: Collin Oliver — Not really too far out on this limb as it would be his fourth-straight year leading the Cowboys, but would be even more impressive given how much OSU is moving him around and how much opposing OCs have to game plan for him.

Gregory: Collin Oliver — Whether OSU has a better pass rush or not, Oliver leads the way. This is where he makes his money.

Newcomer of the Year

Scott: Ayo Shotomide-King — I have bought into the fall camp hype. There were a couple of ways I could’ve went with this, but for me, it came down to four guys: Shotomide-King, Gavin Freeman, Trent Howland and Kobe Hylton. Of that group, Hylton is the only listed starter from OSU’s first two-deep (where he shared an “or” with Cameron Epps at safety). For the others, an ill-timed injury could throw those three into the forefront. If an outside receiver goes down (like many did last season), Shotomide-King, a transfer from Snow College in Utah, could see the field a ton. So, give me the 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver who came out of nowhere.

Cox: Gavin Freeman — This might be a bit outside the box, but Freeman showed the ability to turn heads even with limited opportunities while at OU, and he might get more chances fitting in behind Presley at OSU’s slot position. If not for the depth on the outside, my arm could be twisted to pick fellow receiver Ayo Shotomide-King.

Gregory: Josh Ford — My first thought was, “Is there even a newcomer on this team?” Oh, yeah, the only freshman on the depth chart. Gundy has pitched this kid like students selling Blue & Gold Sausage. And I buy every time. I’m not saying he’s the best player on the team this season, but Josh Ford becomes the present and future of the tight end in Stillwater.

Regular Season Record

Scott: 10-2 — The Big 12 looks to be the definition of parity this season, and I think to the neutral, there won’t be a more fun league to keep track of. We’ll know how good OSU can be early with games against Utah and at Kansas State in consecutive weeks. I say the Pokes split those games (beating Utah before falling in Manhattan, if I had to say) before slipping up once more somewhere in the remaining games to finish a respectable 10-2.

Cox: 11-1 — Even typing that makes me nervy, but that’s what you’re looking for, right? If OSU really returns all this production and learned from its early struggles, this is the type of season that fans are expecting.

Gregory: 11-1 — I really tried to talk myself into a second loss, but I just couldn’t other than just saying, “It’s OSU so it’ll happen.” Utah doesn’t know what’s coming in the Big 12, especially at BPS. K-State is not as good as everyone is saying. West Virginia is worrisome, but the Pokes get that game at home. I think OSU drops a road game in Provo or Boulder, or maybe even Fort Worth if TCU is back. Things are set up very, very nicely for the Pokes in 2024. And last year I was accused of being the homer for picking OSU to win 10 games. But guess what?

Big 12 Title Participants

Scott: Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia — Is this spicy? I think it is a little bit. There are plenty of reasons to believe in like six Big 12 schools this season, but I’ve just been super impressed with the Mountaineers’ climb over the past 12 months. I think Garrett Greene is solid, and WVU won nine games last season after being picked last in the Big 12. The Mountaineers are being overlooked again going into 2024. They also play a tough schedule that sees WVU play Kansas, OSU, Iowa State, Kansas State and Arizona over a six-week span. Still, give me the Mountaineers to climb to the top of what should be a mosh pit of teams.

Cox: Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State — Despite the influx of new programs, the first year of the new-look Big 12 will come down to its old timers. Utah brings in a lot of hype and returning production, but I trust the Wildcats a bit more. Maybe I’m just nostalgic.

Gregory: Oklahoma State vs. Kansas — Obviously the Cowboys would get here at 11-1. The Jayhawks, though, avoid OSU in the regular season and have more talent back than anyone. And I really don’t want any kind of rematch between any teams in the championship game.

Big 12 Winner

Scott: Oklahoma State — With as much as I just hyped up West Virginia, give me the Cowboys to mercifully end their streak of bad luck in Arlington and claim the first title of this new-look league. Too much experience, too much skill at the skill positions and I think Bryan Nardo’s defense will be much improved in Year 2.

Cox: Oklahoma State — Here we go. It’s now in print somewhere. I think the Cowboys finally get over that Arlington hurdle because if not now, with this team and this experience, then when?

Gregory: Oklahoma State — Experience. That’s what does it for the Pokes in 2024. Sorry, OSU fans, there won’t be a playoff game in Stillwater because the Cowboys will be resting that week.