Oklahoma State can't be considered a College Football Playoff sleeper heading into the 2017 season.
You can't say that about a program that has put together five seasons with double-digit victories since 2010. That stat sneaks up on you, but the Cowboys won't do that this season. It's time for something more heading into Mike Gundy's 13th season in Stillwater. Oklahoma State has two Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington. Bob Stoops is out at Oklahoma.
Everything appears to be in the right direction for that playoff dream to finally come true.
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"It's just a culture that's something that I didn't even expect we could create at Oklahoma State, and it's brought a lot of excitement into this season," Gundy said at Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday.
Gundy addressed a variety of topics in his press conference. He's the dean of Big 12 coaches now. He dished on instant replay, that loaded group of receivers led by Washington and the knack for making more out of less on the recruiting trail. And yes, there was another round mullet talk.
Yet it wasn't until the last question, bonus coverage with Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman, in which Gundy addressed the national perception of the Big 12 and the decision Cowboys and Sooners fans might face this season.
"We're learning as a conference as a league, I'm in the state of Oklahoma with Oklahoma State and Oklahoma," Gundy said. "I think at times the fans rather they would admit or not they would whether one of the rival schools lose then win when we need them to win."
That could be put to the test this season, and perhaps it's a not a coincidence that Bedlam was pushed up to Nov. 4 this season. What if Oklahoma meets Oklahoma State in the re-instituted Big 12 championship game with a possible berth in the College Football Playoff? That's a real possibility.
"I've always said when we play Oklahoma we want them to be 11-0," Gundy said. "I don't know when we play them this year in the middle, my math is not that good, 6-0, whatever it might be. But I think as a conference we're stronger than what our national media or fan-base might think."
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Gundy should absolutely want the Sooners to be 8-0 when they meet, and the Cowboys need to win that game. Then, they need to win the rematch if it comes to that. Those victories are needed to create something more in Stillwater. As proof, here's another look at those five double-digit win seasons under Gundy:
| YEAR | RECORD | LOSSES |
| 2011 | 11-2 | vs. Nebraska, vs. Oklahoma |
| 2012 | 12-1 | at Iowa State |
| 2013 | 10-3 | at West Virginia, vs. Oklahoma, vs. Missouri |
| 2015 | 10-3 | vs. Baylor, vs. Oklahoma, vs. Ole Miss |
| 2016 | 10-3 | vs. Central Michigan, at Baylor, at Oklahoma |
That loss at Iowa State kept the Cowboys out of the playoff in 2012, and that debacle against Central Michigan is frequently cited, but there's a familiar common thread: Oklahoma. The Sooners beat the Cowboys in four of those five seasons. Oklahoma is 17-1 in the conference the last two seasons, but Bob Stoops is out and Lincoln Riley is in. This is Gundy's opportunity to seize control of the conference and Bedlam for at least a few years.
Gundy's mullet and punter Zach Sinor's Heisman campaign will draw some attention, but a break-through to the College Football Playoff is what this program has been so close to achieving so many times. This is the best-possible time to do it, especially with Rudolph and Washington leading that high-powered offense.
"I don't see any reason to hide that on offense we should be pretty good," Gundy said.
We also shouldn't hide the fact that the Cowboys are a playoff contender either, because they are. Gundy built that, even if he'll always be remembered for the "I'm a man! I'm 40!" rant that is approaching its 10th anniversary. That rant was part of a rocky 7-6 season in which Oklahoma State was nowhere close to where they are now.
Five 10-win seasons later, Gundy is still here.
"I'm going to turn 50 in a few weeks," Gundy said. "I feel great. I'm energetic."
He should be. The Cowboys seem ready for something more. If the Cowboys beat the Sooners once, maybe twice, they'll get there once and for all.
