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Three Numbers to Know Ahead of Central Michigan This Weekend

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As OSU prepares to face the 1-0 Central Michigan Chippewas, this matchup may not feel as sexy of a non-conference game such as Mississippi State in Houston, or a matchup with Florida State in Dallas to reference a few from the last several years. The Cowboys played CMU last year in a very sloppy 24-13 game, in which CMU actually held a 13-10 lead in the 3rd quarter. Nonetheless, the Cowboys escaped with the ugly victory and will likely be much more prepared this season in Stillwater.

There are several stats that jump off the page heading into this matchup. We will focus on three of them, trying not to pay too much attention to game stats from week 1 (small sample size, folks.)

A chance to move to 48-5 against unranked opponents

Think about that for a second. Under Mike Gundy the Cowboys have won just over 90 percent of their games the last six years against unranked teams, which is a remarkable feat. College football is wild, wacky, unpredictable, and every single week ranked teams go down to much less talented, unranked teams. Heck, just this last week UCLA and LSU went down, and Tennessee almost lost embarrassingly to Appalachian State. Very few games are gimmes in college football, but Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys have showed they know how to take care of business year in and year out.

OSU could improve to 23-4 in its last 27 non-conference games

Not only have the Cowboys cleaned up against unranked teams in recent years, they’ve also dominated their non-conference schedule. The Cowboys have won over 85 percent of their games in the non-conference portion of their schedules over the last several years, with their last non-conference loss coming to the aforementioned No. 1-ranked Florida State Seminoles and Jameis Winston in Dallas, 37-33 (that Cowboys team would need a freshman QB named Mason Rudolph and a miracle punt return in Norman just to finish just 7-6 by the way).

This is yet another testament to Mike Gundy and his staff. Gundy has made it abundantly clear regarding his views of a non-conference schedule. If he had his way, he’d play the SE Louisianas and Savannah States of the world three times each year before jumping into the Big 12 schedule. Can you blame him? Oklahoma State probably can’t afford to go anything less than 12-0 or MAYBE 11-1 to be considered for a spot in the CFP’s final four, as currently constructed.

The Last Eight Big 12 Champions have placed Top 15 Nationally in TO Margin

OSU is +3 after 1 week which ranks No. 2 in the country. Alright, I referenced the small sample size of a week 1 victory over Southeast Lousiana Lions, you got me. But my point is this. Turnover margin might be the single most important stat to keep tabs in as the season progresses for the Cowboys. Kyle P. wrote an awesome article here highlighting this very stat, which shows the importance of both takeaways and giveaways. The early returns from fall camp and a week of play is that this Cowboy defense is aggressive, fast, and willing to take risks for turnovers. The Cowboys had four takeaways (all fumbles) in week one, including the tremendous play that resulted in a Ramon Richards touchdown at 1:10 of the video below.

How will the Cowboys fare against 2nd team all-MAC Senior Quarterback Cooper Rush? We will see a much better test in week 2, against a QB that may not rival the Seth Russells, Patty Mahomes, and Baker Mayfields coming up on the schedule, but can beat you over the top with his arm strength and has plenty of experience. Watch the Cowboys defense closely this week, to see if they can continue wreaking havoc against the Chippewas.

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