A Look at Oklahoma State’s Big 12 Scoring Margins

As we look ahead at a possibly historic season, some games on the schedule are easier to predict than others. In order to get a better feel for OSU’s wins and potential losses on their trek to pursue a Big 12 title, let’s take a look a recent history.

While it’s not the ultimate barometer, a good way to predict the future, is to look to the past. Just how good has OSU been against its Big 12 brethren?

To look at OSU’s scoring margins against the rest of the league, I went back to 2008, when Coach Gundy really started to get Oklahoma State on track. That was the first 9-win season under Gundy.

The first two aren’t surprising. OSU has, more often than not, handily vanquished both Kansas and Iowa State. There have been some close games — and a game that we will not mention — but mostly blowouts.

I thought Texas Tech and Baylor would be closer, especially given the offenses they put on the field. But with eight-straight wins over the Red Raiders, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Plus, their lack of defense has allowed the Cowboys to put up some ridiculous numbers.

As for Baylor, while the Bears have won three straight, some of those games before 2012 were pretty lopsided in the Cowboys favor. Like 40 points lopsided.

I was actually a bit shocked at how bad the OU difference was. It feels like games have been close over the past few years, especially with the Big 12 often coming down to the annual in-state game. Turns out, other than one lopsided OSU win in 2011, the final point margins have not been great.

The most interesting thing to me is Kansas State. Despite a 5-2 record against the Wildcats, the Cowboys have been outscored. Granted, 19 points isn’t a ton over seven games, but I think it really speaks to how competitive the two teams are when they face off.

What does this data tell us about the upcoming season? It explains why we view certain games as “wins” and, of course, why we’re not favored in Bedlam no matter what either team looks like on paper. It also tells me that we should probably be more concerned about the Kansas State and West Virginia games than I feel like we are.