National College Football Analysts React to Oklahoma State’s Stunning Week 1 Loss
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Oklahoma State spent much of the offseason becoming one of college football's more intriguing turnaround candidates. It took one Saturday for the national conversation to change.
The Cowboys' 24-10 loss at Tulsa in Eric Morris' debut didn't become the biggest story of a chaotic opening weekend across college football, but the surprising result caught the attention of several prominent national analysts who had spent the offseason buying into Oklahoma State's potential.
Few had been higher on the Cowboys than Josh Pate. Pate praised Oklahoma State throughout the offseason, including placing quarterback Drew Mestemaker among his top 10 quarterbacks in college football entering the season.
He also backed the Cowboys as 13.5-point favorites against Tulsa in his Week 1 picks. Instead of winning by two touchdowns, Oklahoma State lost by two touchdowns.
“I believed in Oklahoma State,” Pate said while recapping the weekend. “They were favored by 13.5. They lost by 14, and your boy went down with the ship.”
Pate also acknowledged that comparisons between Oklahoma State's massive offseason rebuild and Indiana's rapid turnaround under Curt Cignetti might have underestimated how difficult that type of transformation actually is.
He wasn't alone in being surprised. On the Cover 3 Podcast, Tom Fornelli revisited concerns he raised before the season about the pressure surrounding Oklahoma State entering Morris' first year.
The Cowboys were coming off a difficult 2025 season but generated significant offseason optimism after bringing in 91 newcomers, including several productive players who followed Morris from North Texas.
Saturday didn't resemble the anticipated turnaround. Oklahoma State scored only 10 points despite running 86 offensive plays and recording 28 first downs. The Cowboys committed four turnovers and repeatedly failed to finish drives.
Fornelli pointed specifically to Mestemaker's underwhelming Oklahoma State debut after the quarterback arrived with significant expectations. Bud Elliott was similarly surprised by the Cowboys' offensive struggles.
Oklahoma State lost offensive tackle Jacob Sexton to an apparent injury early in the game, creating another challenge for an offensive line that struggled to consistently protect Mestemaker.
But Elliott's biggest surprise wasn't necessarily Oklahoma State's defense. It was an offense led by Morris and a quarterback who threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns at North Texas last season failing to produce.
The criticism was even stronger on the Brandon Walker College Football Show. Walker acknowledged hearing plenty of positive Oklahoma State talk throughout the offseason before describing the Cowboys' performance as an “absolutely garbage debut.”
He called Oklahoma State's loss one of the more disappointing results from the opening week.
Liam Blutman, who interviewed Mestemaker during the offseason, also criticized the quarterback's performance and Oklahoma State's offensive line after watching the entire game.
Mestemaker finished 29-of-49 for 241 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble as Oklahoma State's offense turned the ball over four times.
The reaction represents a dramatic shift from where Oklahoma State stood only days ago.
The Cowboys entered the season as a potential Big 12 sleeper with one of the country's most productive returning quarterbacks, a highly regarded offensive coach and a roster almost completely rebuilt through the transfer portal. After one game, much of that optimism has been replaced by questions.
Morris acknowledged as much after the loss, calling Oklahoma State's first-half performance “piss poor” before telling reporters the Cowboys had plenty of problems to fix.
They won't have much time to do it. Oregon comes to Boone Pickens Stadium Saturday, giving Oklahoma State an immediate opportunity to change the conversation again.
After Week 1, however, the national hype surrounding the Cowboys has been replaced by something much different.
Skepticism.
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