Cowboy Up: Oklahoma State the team to root for in the Big 12
After a slew of coaching changes throughout the conference, the Big 12 will be as entertaining as any league in the country this season.
Texas and Baylor welcome new coaches to the fold, while Oklahoma will be led by someone other than Bob Stoops for the first time in the 2000s.
The program that experienced the least amount of change is likely Oklahoma State, which returns a number of its best players and has a favorable schedule in 2017.
That continuity makes the Cowboys easy to support when the season kicks off in September, and here are a few more reasons to root for them.
Entertaining coach?
There may not be a more impressive orator in college football than Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy, the man who once gave us this delicious soundbite:
It may be 10 years since he delivered that epic rant in a postgame press conference, but thanks to the internet, it's never truly gone away. In the time since, he's grown a mullet to annoy his children, so yes, it's safe to say the Cowboys have an entertaining coach. He's also a damn good frontman on the field: Oklahoma State is 104-50 since Gundy took over in 2005.
Crazy home crowd?
Yes, and a crazy-looking mascot
Oklahoma State may not have the most raucous crowd in the country, but it packs over 50,000 fans into Boone Pickens Stadium each game. The oddly shaped venue can get very loud and tends to produce weird results - unfortunately, not always in the home team's favor. One thing they do have on their side is the creepiest-looking mascot in the Big 12, Pistol Pete.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Chance to win conference?
Very good
As mentioned, the rest of the Big 12 went through a lot of changes in the offseason, making Oklahoma State a trendy pick to win the conference. It remains to be seen how Oklahoma will fare without Stoops at the helm, and the Cowboys get to host their in-state rival in the annual game this year. If Gundy's outfit can navigate a very tough midseason stretch - at Texas, at West Virginia, and home to the Sooners - they should be in the driver's seat for the conference crown.
Star player that's fun to watch?
Two of them
The Cowboys feature one of the most prolific tandems in the country in quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington. Rudolph threw for a whopping 4,091 yards and 28 touchdowns against just four interceptions while Washington grabbed 71 balls for 1,380 yards and 10 scores last season. Both players opted to come back to school for their senior campaigns instead of jumping to the NFL, and the rest of the Big 12 wept. The Cowboys finished 17th in the country in points per game for the 2016 schedule, and with the dynamic duo returning, expect another exceptional offensive season.