A ‘Way Too Early’ Look at OSU’s 2018 Football Schedule: Part 1

College football is still months away, but that doesn’t mean we’re not already anxiously counting down the days until the lights of Boone Pickens Stadium are turned back on.

Heck, most sports experts and prognosticators are already making ranking predictions for next season. As we’ve already seen, Oklahoma State is anywhere from NR to No. 13 heading into the cold winter of the offseason. But what about the Cowboys’ opponents?

With that in mind, let’s take a way too early look at OSU’s 2018 schedule and the opponents appearing on it.

Missouri State

Oklahoma State opens the season with four-straight home games, beginning with Missouri State. The Bears, who play in the Football College Subdivision, went 3-8 this season. This should give Gundy a nice opportunity to test all of his quarterbacks let true freshman QB Spencer Sanders get his feet wet before facing any real competition.

Fun fact: OSU is 7-0 all time against the Bears. Back in 1996, the two teams played in the first overtime game in college football.

South Alabama

Game 2 of the two-for-one series brings the Jaguars to Stillwater. For the first time since moving to college football’s top division, the Jags will have a new coach, Steve Campbell, who they hired away from Central Arkansas. Like the Week 1 opener, this will provide Spencer Sanders another opportunity to figure things out before a real test arrives.

Fun fact: new Jags head coach Steve Campbell has more national titles* (2) than losing seasons (0) in his 19 years as a head coach.

*2000 NCAA Division II, 2007 NJCAA

Boise State

It’s easily the best non-conference game, and one of the best games* of OSU’s season.

The Cowboys will welcome a likely ranked Boise State team to Stillwater. Boise opens at Troy, then gets UConn at home before this game, so I think we can all assume both will be 2-0 when they face off.

Do you realize this will be OSU’s first home non-conference game against a ranked opponent since 2009? Actually, the only other ranked non-conference opponent OSU has faced since 2009 was Florida State in Arlington in 2014. Okay, technically they’re not ranked yet, and not everyone has them so in their way too early 2018 rankings:

USA Today – No. 14
Yahoo – NR
ESPN – No. 17
Bleacher Report – NR
Athlon – No. 19
Sporting News – NR
SBNation – No. 21

But I would be surprised to see the Bronchos not ranked by the time they arrive in Stillwater on September 15th.

*I know I’ve kinda dogged this game in the past while discussing OSU’s scheduling habits. It’s not that I don’t think this is a good game. I just don’t think it should be OSU’s best and only good non-conference game in a season.*

Fun fact: This is the first ever meeting between the two teams in football.

Texas Tech

This schedule really is perfect for a true-freshman quarterback. Start your career with four straight home games, and open Big 12 play at home against a team that Mike Gundy has OWNED for nearly a decade.

Fun fact: A win here would not only extend OSU’s win streak in the series to 10, it would give the Cowboys the series lead for the first time ever. The series is currently tied 21-21-3.

at Kansas

After four-straight home games, OSU’s first road game is in Lawrence, Kansas against the Jayhawks. Like I said, this is the perfect schedule to break in a new quarterback, especially a true freshman.*

The Cowboys have won eight-straight in the series. However, the two closest games during that period have both come during “rebuilding” years** in Lawrence.

*This schedule is the reason I think Sanders starts. If it were tougher, say OSU opened against Boise State, I think Gundy would start Cornelius.

**20-14 in 2012, 27-20 in 2014.

Fun fact: Kansas beat Texas in football in 2016.

Iowa State

USA Today – No. 24
Yahoo – NR
ESPN – NR
Bleacher Report – NR
Athlon – NR
Sporting News – NR
SBNation – NR

I’m going to take a leap and say that the Cyclones are 4-1 and ranked when they arrive in Stillwater on October 6.*

I think it’s amazing that the Cyclones got Matt Campbell to sign a long-term, big-boy contract and stay in Ames. But I also think they’re going to be a dangerous team as long as he is there. Gundy has won eight of the last nine, but these games are close more often than not.

I expect another close one in Stillwater this year, and a real test for an OSU team breaking in a lot of new pieces.

*Iowa State’s schedule before OSU is as follows: South Dakota State, at Iowa, Oklahoma, Akron, at TCU.