Three Burning Questions for Oklahoma State Two Weeks Out from the 2026 Season

This has been one of the most intriguing and exciting offseasons ever at Oklahoma State, but the speculation will soon be moot.

A new coaching staff, an almost entirely rebuilt roster and what seems like an all-around culture shift might just pay off for the program. It couldn’t get much worse than the results of the last two seasons. But while the new-look Cowboys offer plenty to get excited about, this season also comes with about as many questions that need answered as ever.

Here are a few that have been banging around my brain with two weeks until the Cowboys kick off their year in Tulsa.

1. How Do These Cowboys Handle the Step Up in Competition?

The core of UNT players that followed Eric Morris from UNT have had inarguably more on-field success than anyone playing in Stillwater did last season, but there is still at least a question about the competition level.

If we look at strength of schedule last season, North Texas ranked 77th, according to TeamRankings.com, but OSU was 70th even with the Oregon slaughter. Obviously, the Mean Green were able to squeeze out 11 regular season wins to the Cowboys’ single (FCS) win. So, I’m feeling a little better about the gap based on that sample size.

Looking at 2026, OSU has the third-toughest schedule among Big 12 teams as predicted by one metric. The Pokes face Oregon again (at least this year in BPS), and they also host Texas Tech but only have two home games the first four weeks.

Of course, it comes down to more than strength of schedule. The level of the athlete is different. I think that gap is thinner than it used to be thanks to the transfer portal and rule changes, but blocking holding back the defensive fronts of K-State, Texas Tech and Arizona State three weeks in a row in November takes more strength up front than doing the same against UAB, Rice and then Temple.

2. How Quickly Does this O-Line Gel

Since I used that example, let’s start there.

I’m pretty confident that Eric Morris has the playmakers to score enough points on offense, but how well will his big guys up front be able to facilitate those big plays?

The offensive line rotation will be made almost entirely of players who were not at OSU last season. In fact, when Eric Morris talked about his potential starting five, he threw out seven potential names and only three of them played on the same team last year.

It’s hard not to imagine a worst-case scenario similar to ones we’ve seen in Stillwater before. Having all the preseason watchlist QBs, receivers and running backs without the depth, experience or strength to allow them to move the ball consistently.

Sometimes that was due to recruiting (a lot of the time) and others it was just really bad luck when it comes to injuries. But no coaching staff or team is immune to O-line issues.

If they come out and dominate the line of scrimmage against Tulsa, it will be encouraging. If they hold their own against Oregon, it will be hard to not get excited about this team’s chances. Either way, we’ll have to wait and see.

3. Can They Take It Back?

Skyler Cassity’s defense in 2025 was adept at turning teams over and giving those offensive superstars extra possessions. If that skill translates to the Big 12, it can go a long way in easing the above transition up in competition.

North Texas ranked fifth in the FBS creating 28 turnovers last year, up from 16 the year before Cassity arrived. As the DC at Sam Houston in 2024, his team dispossessed their opponent 27 times (T7th nationally) which was up from 20 (T40th) the year before he arrived there.

There is some discussion among football’s talking heads as to how much you can even coach takeaways. Although there is a certain amount of luck involved in creating turnovers, anecdotally it seems to be a skill. At the very least, Cassity seems to be able to get his team prepared to take advantage of those opportunities.