Oklahoma State football: Do Cowboys deserve preseason No. 12 ranking?

Does OSU deserve the No. 12 ranking?

Oklahoma State will begin the 2020 season with a new offensive coordinator after Sean Gleeson’s departure to Rutgers — wide receivers coach Kasey Dunn. Gleeson called plays for the Cowboys for just one season.

Dunn will take over the controls of an offense that returns some of the nation’s best playmakers for the 2020 season. As the receivers coach for OSU in the last nine seasons, Dunn has coached three All-Americans and has seen his wideouts win All-Big 12 honors 10 times.

OSU’s high ranking and big expectations center around these return playmakers: 2018 Biletnikoff Award finalist Tylan Wallace, who suffered a season-ending injury midway through last year, Chuba Hubbard, the nation’s leading rusher in 2019, and quarterback Spencer Sanders, a rising redshirt sophomore who showed much better decision-making as last year progressed.

OSU’s defense last year markedly improved from 2018. The Cowboys improved in terms of points allowed, total yardage allowed, and turnovers forced. They had 13 interceptions, tied for 31st-best in the nation, and only allowed 26.6 points per game. Perhaps most importantly, the unit is supposed to return 10 of its 11 starters heading into 2020.

Lastly, the head coaching experience of Mike Gundy, despite some staff turnover, counts for a good deal. He has now accumulated 129 wins and only 64 losses through 15 seasons, good for a .668 overall winning percentage.

Gundy’s track record, an experienced defense that should continue to improve, and a bevy of returning offensive all-stars make OSU a justifiably top-12 team. With teams ranked behind them such as Wisconsin, Auburn, and Michigan facing question marks at key positions, the Cowboys deserve these lofty expectations on paper heading into 2020.