Oklahoma State Headed to Camping World Bowl Against Virginia Tech

Oklahoma State’s bowl destination was decided on Sunday, and the Cowboys are set to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Camping World Bowl on December 28 in Orlando, Florida. The game will be on ESPN at 4:15 p.m.

While the end locale is a disappointment for the Pokes, the opponent is not. The Hokies had a solid year and will be a fun non-conference opponent at an otherwise uninspiring bowl.

Plus, OSU can exact a little Big 12 revenge on a team that beat West Virginia early.

This should be one of the better non-NY6 games. Virginia Tech ended the season No. 6 in defensive points per drive (1.16) and Oklahoma State ended it No. 3 in offensive points per drive (3.5). The reverse is true of the other side of the ball. OSU’s defense comes in at No. 59 (2.06 PPD) and VT’s offense comes in at No. 84 (1.98 PPD).

Also of note: Virginia Tech has not scored 30 or more points in its last five games and only scored more than 31 in three games all season. If styles make fights, this should be a good one.

All of this was made possible because TCU slipped to No. 15 in the final CFP rankings while Washington rose to No. 11 and grabbed a spot in the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State.

Oklahoma State comes in looking for its 30th win in the last three years, and third-consecutive 10-win season, something that has never been done in OSU football history.

It’s easy to think about what could have been. What if that pass to Tyron against OU had fallen? What if OSU didn’t treat TCU like it was Abilene Christian? What if you could somehow erase the first half of the Kansas State game?

But it’s also easy to imagine a future rife with hope.

A bowl win over VT would give the Pokes some offseason momentum, and a loaded-up skill position cupboard means that if Oklahoma State can find a QB for next year, then it’s less rebuild and more reload than maybe we’re used to. It all starts on December 28, though.

The Camping World Bowl — formerly the Blockbuster Bowl (!), CarQuest Bowl, MicronPC Bowl, Florida Tourism Bowl, Mazda Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl and Russell Athletic Bowl — has featured an ACC-Big 12 matchup each of the last three years starting with Clemson’s 40-6 lambasting of OU in 2014.

2014: Clemson: 40 |OU: 6
2015: Baylor: 49 | UNC: 38
2016: Miami: 31 | WVU: 14

The game will be played at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando. It will also host the Citrus Bowl. One other note: Mike Gundy will speak with the media on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. about OSU’s bowl. We will bring you updates from that.