College Football Playoff: Which Top 25 teams are contenders, pretenders?
For the first three weeks of the college football season, many fans and pundits alike have declared the Oklahoma State Cowboys a dark horse candidate to win the 2017 Big-12 Conference, and maybe even take home a national title. However, after fielding a dud against the 16th ranked TCU Horned Frogs in Week 4, their hopes of running the table have been all but dashed.
The potent pairing of senior quarterback Mason Rudolph and sophomore tailback Justice Hill have improved the Cowboy’s offensive ranking from 14th in the nation last season to 4th in the nation after four game, while amassing 22 offensive touchdowns and an average of 580 yards per game.
However, much like last season, Oklahoma State’s 4-3 defense has held the team back. Currently ranked the 53rd defense in the nation, a sizeable improvement from last season’s 92nd ranked crew, the Cowboys have given up 12 touchdowns to opposing offenses and an average of 366 yards per game to opposing offenses.
Even though the Cowboys typically have enough offensive firepower to outscore their opponents, their defense really let the team down against TCU, and ultimately eliminated the team’s margin for error in the Big 12 for the remainder of the season.
Unlike the vast majority of the other conferences in college football, the Big 12 doesn’t have defined divisions, and instead allows their top-two teams to face off in the Big 12 Conference game.
With a loss to still undefeated TCU in Week 4 and upcoming games against Texas Tech, Texas, No. 23 West Virginia and No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners looming over the horizon, it will be incredibly hard for OSU to finish the season with an 11-1 record, effectively eliminating them from Big 12 Conference game contention and a spot in the College Football Playoff.