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Oklahoma State Football: 5 post-spring bold predictions for 2019

By John Scimeca

STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 15: Head Coach Mike Gundy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys adjust his glasses before the game against the Boise State Broncos at Boone Pickens Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 44-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 15: Head Coach Mike Gundy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys adjust his glasses before the game against the Boise State Broncos at Boone Pickens Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 44-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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NORMAN, OK – SEPTEMBER 14: Quarterback Cody Green #7 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane looks to throw under pressure from linebacker Eric Striker #19 of the Oklahoma Sooners September 14, 2013 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Golden Hurricane 51-20. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK – SEPTEMBER 14: Quarterback Cody Green #7 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane looks to throw under pressure from linebacker Eric Striker #19 of the Oklahoma Sooners September 14, 2013 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Golden Hurricane 51-20. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

5. The Pokes will add more regional rivals to its schedule

OSU and Tulsa just scheduled eight more home-and-home games from 2024-31, adding to the three already scheduled games from 2019-21, consecutively.

The two schools have met 72 times in a series that dates back to 1914. The so-called “Bank of Oklahoma Turnpike Classic” belongs to OSU from the last six meetings, and the Cowboys hold a 40-27-5 advantage. The schools are separated by just 72 miles.

It’s an interesting move for the Pokes, considering that many Power Five programs refuse to play smaller in-state rivals because it’s seen as a lose-lose situation. Kansas basketball doesn’t want to play Wichita State, LSU football doesn’t want to play Tulane, and so on, because on the surface, there is not much to gain.

For the little brother, however, everything is on the line. Lose, and you can pat yourself on the back for a valiant effort. Win, and you’ve got regional bragging rights and a great new pitch for recruits’ living rooms. Look at what’s been lost from the Texas-Texas A&M split.

So, if you’re OSU and Mike Gundy, why bother scheduling the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the American Athletic Conference?

It’s powerful for fan bases to see in-state programs competing with each other. It adds to shared history, shared rivalries, and to the geographic lens of college football when teams in close proximity to each other play. It can also mean, in OSU’s case, a ‘road’ game that’s even closer for some OSU season-ticket holders than Stillwater and another opportunity for Cowboy fans to cheer on their team.

If it’s not any of these reasons, perhaps it’s an easy relationship for the Cowboys to foster with a lesser in-state foe.

For some of the benefits derived from this Turnpike Classic, wouldn’t it be great if OSU scheduled regional foes such as Arkansas (a former Southwest Conference member), Missouri (defeated in last year’s bowl game) and Nebraska (former Big 8/Big 12 foe)?

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