Six Non-Conference Games I would Like To See Oklahoma State Play

Southeastern Louisiana, Central Michigan and Pittsburgh. That is Oklahoma State’s non-conference football schedule this season. It’s not awful, but it’s not very good either.

I’ve long thought OSU should build a heavyweight-ish non-con schedule (think: FSU in Dallas or Mississippi State in Houston). OKC Dave even asked this question in his survey (which you should take).

The reason I think this is because, more often than not, OSU is not going to be in the running for the College Football Playoff anyway. If an early-season loss doesn’t matter on that front, then you might as well give your fans something to enjoy as long as other big-time schools will agree to it.

The issue here is of course that sometimes you are going to be in the running for the College Football Playoff, and you don’t want to botch that year by losing an early big non-con game. This is exacerbated by the fact that you don’t know when you’re going to be in the Playoff, and you have to schedule these things years in advance.

Anyway, all that aside, here are the six teams I want OSU to play in non-conference over the next 10-15 years. You can do a one-game neutral site affair or trade home and home. Doesn’t matter to me.

1. LSU

You know when those bowl projection posts start coming out at like halftime of the first game of the college football season? I’m always praying they include an OSU-LSU matchup. All the storylines here. Gundy-Miles. Mason Rudolph picking Stillwater over Baton Rouge. Two of the best helmet games in the nation. We nearly got it for the national title in 2011 which would have been pretty unbelievable.

2. Oregon

Of course. A uni matchup for all time. We did get this, but it was eight years ago before Oklahoma State actually had slick threads like the Ducks. I would be jazzed for some Nike on Nike crime in Big D to get 2016 underway.

3. Notre Dame

The Irish have seemingly played every football school in Oklahoma besides Oklahoma State. In this instance, I would prefer trading home games because I think traveling South Bend for a college football game in late September would be the absolute best.

4. Clemson

I’m probably being a prisoner of the moment, but Clemson seems like it would be a heck of a time. Both the locale and the football squad that goes with it.

5. Michigan

Jim Harbaugh is starting to annoy me for how many corners of Mike Gundy’s he’s currently on. Between the satellite camps and the goofball “I don’t know what I’m doing” persona, I feel like he’s treading in Gundy territory. It would be nice to play for those corners on the field.

6. Auburn

The little brother matchup! I would love to expose the SEC by rolling through Auburn (although after watching that Ole Miss game, I have my doubts) in an early-in-the-year tilt. This would be a good one too. Ag schools, fellow jilted brethren by a bigger, badder in-state program and Trooper Taylor stories for weeks.