Bowl Projections: Liberty and Justice for All in December?

Not much has changed on the bowl front after Oklahoma State’s bye week. The only switch among the big publishers is that they’re now all aligned on OSU ending up in the Liberty Bowl on December 31 in Memphis. This makes sense (I guess?) as the No. 5 team in the Big 12 heads to the Liberty (seems a little optimistic), and nobody from this league appears destined for a NYD bowl (otherwise every team would bump up a spot).

The real question is not whether OSU will go to a top-tier or lower-tier bowl, but whether the Pokes will make it to the postseason at all. I’m curious if these sites are projecting based on actual quality of the team or just looking at records (I would guess the latter just because of how many teams make it).

OSU’s 4-3 mark going toward Halloween looks fine on paper, but if people have watched every minute like you and I have, they know it’s going to be a grapple just to limp to six wins in what has become one of the more disappointing seasons in the Mike Gundy era.

Anyway, here’s the smorgasbord of opponents OSU is predicted to play in Memphis as of right now.

ESPN 1: Liberty Bowl (Houston)
ESPN 2: Liberty Bowl (Missouri)
USA Today: Liberty Bowl (Missouri)
SI: Liberty Bowl (Mississippi State)
SB Nation: Liberty Bowl (Memphis)
CBS: N/A

Houston would be not great, Bob, as there’s not much benefit from beating a team like that, and the Coogs would probably be favored if the teams played today. I could do Missouri in Memphis. We could all tell Norm Stewart-Eddie Sutton stories and talk about how much fun the Big 8 Big 12 used to be.

Regardless, this will (unfortunately) be one of the bigger storylines as OSU tries to drag a winning season across the finish line and on to (hopefully) better days ahead in 2019 and beyond.