Storyline Countdown No. 11: How Does a Reloading Year Shape Expectations for OSU?

PFB’s countdown to football season by counting down the 15 most intriguing storylines continues today with a look at the No. 11 storyline we’re tracking going into 2018.

Storyline rank: No. 11
Storyline: How does a reloading year shape expectations for OSU?

Why this matters: Mike Gundy has built himself a 10-win machine and this “monster”, as he’s called it, needs to be fed. That’s a good problem to have, but that monster metaphor has negative connotations as well. What happens if you fall short?

How it could play out: That’s a good question. This season may be as hard to predict as any in recent memory — both for Oklahoma State and for the Big 12.

I’d like to say that anything less than a 9-win season for the Cowboys is a disappointment. But it’s hard not to imagine a drop off after you’ve said goodbye to your all-time passer and catcher in Mason Rudolph and James Washington, as well as another NFL wideout in Marcell Ateman.

It all comes down to two questions. 1) How good will OSU’s quarterback play be? and 2) How effective can Jim Knowles’ defense in the Big 12 in Year 1?

Mike Gundy’s thoughts: At Big 12 Media Days, Gundy addressed not only the turnover in his program but that of the conference as a whole. With four of the league’s top 5 passers gone from 2017, there are plenty of questions in flyover country, starting at QB.

“I think there is a number of players in this league that make it interesting,” Gundy said. “A little bit of a rebuilding year from what’s been fantastic quarterback play over the last few years for most of the schools, us included. Some of them have returning guys.

“I think the quarterback play is so important in this league and for that matter maybe everywhere in the country. But teams change. As we’ve talked about, earlier with Coach Knowles and our defense, how well we can play early in the year will be interesting. I know there is enough talent on teams in this league to play very well each Saturday.”

My thoughts: Obviously, Gundy is not going to give us his expectation for his team in terms of a win total (or anything else). The closest thing you’d get from him is a we’ll know a lot more in two months.

But Taylor Cornelius is his guy (until he isn’t) and Jim Knowles has already impressed the 14th-year head coach both on the practice field and in the meeting room.

If Cornelius turns out to be pretty good — or another QB emerges as an early star — the Cowboys have a good shot at a 9- or 10-win year. If the defense is as good as some in Stillwater think, the Cowboys could parlay that into a Big 12 contender. But if the Pokes hit a snag on either front, Gundy’s double-digit win run is in jeopardy.

Expectations shape narrative. They qualify or condemn. In Mike Gundy’s case, the yearly expectation is to field a competitive team that has something to play for in November. That’s the monster he has to feed.

Previous Countdowns

No. 15: How will OSU use all its running backs in 2018?
No. 14: Will Rodarius Williams and A.J. Green have to play as much as they did in 2017?
No. 13: Is Tyron Johnson the X-Factor for OSU?
No. 12: Which Cowboy Back Will Emerge for OSU?