Five Non-Conference Games Oklahoma State Should Schedule (Part 3)

While we wait for the season to finally start, why not spend some time fantasizing about future non-conference games Oklahoma State should schedule?

Or if we’re lucky, the bowl gods will award us one of these opponents in the College Football Playoff this year (knock on wood).

This started as a simple five-team project, and evolved into three groups of five. Three collections of teams tied together with three unifying themes. We kicked it off Thursday with Part 1: The Proximity Tour and continued Saturday with Part 2: The Naming-Rights Challenge. Today, we wrap it up with part 3.

Part 3 – The Revenge Tour

Having a losing record to a team never feels good, especially when you truly believe your program is better than another’s. Or worse, you’ve come soooo close to getting that coveted victory, but had to watch as your team fell just short.

For our final selection, we’re going with five programs Oklahoma State has a losing record against. Or in most cases, has never beaten, though not for a lack of trying.

Ole Miss Rebels

This only stings more now, knowing what a bunch of cheats they were in the last outing in the 2016 Sugar Bowl. But take that loss away, and OSU is still 0-2 against the Rebels with both losses coming in the past 15 years.

OSU lost the first meeting in the 2004 Cotton Bowl. Josh Fields and Rashaun Woods came just three points shy of a come-from-behind victory over the Eli Manning-led Rebels.

Loss No. 2 came in one of the worst OSU bowl performances I’ve ever witnessed — a 21-7 loss in the 2010 Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys were never in this one and never looked they would be. In the fourth quarter Ole Miss scored twice while the Cowboys recorded six(!!) turnovers.

With Ole Miss on their way to the bargain bin after the scandal that was Hugh Freeze, now’s as good a time as any to get them on the schedule and square things up.

SMU Mustangs

Yep. Oklahoma State has a losing record to SMU. The Cowboys are 4-6-2 all time against the Mustangs. Granted, nine of the games came before President Eisenhower took office, but still. This should be an easy issue to correct.

Get them on the schedule. Not only should they be wins, but it won’t be hard for a large contingent of Cowboy fans to make it to the road game in Dallas.

They shouldn’t be bad games either. SMU has turned into a destination for top assistants to show off their head coaching abilities for a couple of years before heading off to the Power 5. That should make the games no worse than entertaining.

Florida State Seminoles

I think all Oklahoma State fans have wanted another shot at the Seminoles ever since the 2014 season opener. The Cowboys came SOOOO close to knocking off the defending National Champions.

With the loss, OSU’s record against FSU fell to 1-4 with the Cowboys’ only victory coming all the way back in 1958. Revenge aside and despite the loss, that 2014 game was still one of the most fun to watch. Who wouldn’t enjoy a home-and-home against a team like Florida State?

Of every game I’ve suggested so far, this would easily be No. 1 on my scheduling wish list.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Cowboys are 0-2 all-time against the Gophers. There’s just something about that I can’t stomach. It might be my lack of respect for a Big Ten program that’s had one 10-win season since 1905.

Now, it’s only fair to remind everyone that these two teams haven’t faced off since before World War II, but still, 0-2 ain’t great. This should be an easy one to schedule and while I know I’ve talked them down a bit, they wouldn’t be the worst Power 5 team we’ve faced in the Gundy era (looking at you Purdue and Washington State).

This also fits the types of Power 5 teams OSU seems to like to schedule; solid but not great (see Pitt, Arizona, Oregon State).

LSU Tigers

When I die, I will always have one disappointment; never getting to see the Gundy-led Cowboys face off against the Miles led Tigers. Now it will never happen.

That’s why, we must schedule LSU now! Not because they stole Les, but to defend Miles’ honor! He does deserve the credit for reviving a downtrodden Oklahoma State football program in the early 2000’s, and he was never truly appreciated at LSU despite winning a National Championship. Because he wasn’t Nick Saban.

Plus, OSU is 0-1 all-time against LSU. Someone get them on the phone and get this game on the schedule. With them hiring Ed Orgeron, it’s not like we’ll be facing them in the playoff anytime soon.