Report: Tulsa Will Be Oklahoma State’s Single Nonconference Opponent for 2020

On Tuesday, it was announced that Big 12 brass had voted to institute a pandemic-shortened 10-game football slate that would include nine conference games and one nonconference contest.

Dates and decisions for trimming the noncon slate have not been announced officially but it appears that OSU’s season will start its season with a home contest against in-state Tulsa on Sept. 12, according to Pokes Report.

The Pac-12’s earlier decision to eliminate nonconference games left the Cowboys without their original season opener against Oregon State and with two choices for the mandated single slot, FCS opponent Western Illinois and in-state Tulsa.

The decision makes sense, at least for OSU, both from a strength of schedule standpoint and for the fewer travel miles (and potential exposure) from hosting a team from two states away vs. the one just an hour east.

Oklahoma State is 41-27-5 against its other in-state rival wining seven straight in the series, and is 25-4-3 at home against the Golden Hurricane.

At this point, fall football is still on for Western Illinois after the Missouri Valley Conference voted to push back some fall sports while football remains as scheduled. Other FCS conferences, like the Southwestern Athletic Conference, voted to suspend all fall sports with a plan to play football in the spring.

Shortened schedules across all the major conferences will affect several FCS schools that depend on the financial boost from playing Division I programs. Thanks to Army canceling its 2020 bout with Oklahoma, the Sooners are still set to play FCS opponent Missouri State.

On Tuesday the NCAA’s board of governors held off on making a decision on fall sports championships which would affect FCS football, but not the College Football Playoff directly, stating there would be “an update” on Wednesday. UConn canceled its football season on Wednesday morning.

From a CFP standpoint, it a will be interesting to see how schedules for teams in the Big 12 and ACC are measured against those in the Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12, which will not play any out-of-league opponents. Can something that’s been such a huge element in the CFP equation be completely or fairly ignored?

In the strange new world we live in, prognosticating about the playoff at this point seems insane. But if things go on as planned, that point will no doubt be the source of endless debate once the CFP committee convenes, whenever that is. I suppose, if anything, all the ensuing hand-wringing and outrage would provide us with some sense of normalcy.