How The Oregon Ducks Could Ruin Oklahoma State's Season Once Again
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys will play the second week of the 2026 college football season at home at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The opponent? The Oregon Ducks.
It's a big game, to be sure. It's the one non-conference game Oklahoma State will play against another power conference team. It comes a week after facing Tulsa in the season opener on the road. It will also be new head coach Eric Morris' first game against a power conference opponent as Cowboys head coach.
Last year they faced each other in Eugene, Ore., in the first game of their two-game contract. It was an awful experience on the field. Could it happen again?
Will the Ducks Spoil the Cowboys' Season Again in 2026?
Oregon, then the nation's No. 6 team, walloped Oklahoma State, 69-3. The loss was historic. It was the Cowboys' largest margin of defeat since 1907. That's not a typo. It was also the most points the Cowboys had allowed to an opponent since 1996 when they gave up 71 to Texas in a 71-14 loss.
It was a lopsided mess from start to finish. The Ducks took a 21-0 first quarter lead and were up 41-3 at the break. Any though to taking their foot off the gas disappeared after the Ducks scored 28 points in the third quarter. Someone, Oregon avoided scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Ducks outgained the Cowboys, 631-211. The Ducks had 10 offensive plays of 20 yards or longer and five plays of 40 yards or longer. Oregon was plus-2 in the turnover department.
It was a turning point in the season. Oklahoma State was coming off a win to open the season. As it turned out, it was their only win of the season. After the Ducks game the season fell apart. Oklahoma State lost to Tulsa the next week, coach Mike Gundy was fired after the Cowboys didn't win another game.
The Ducks absolutely ruined the Cowboys' season. Could they do it again? Absolutely. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has turned the Ducks into a juggernaut. He is 48-8 in four seasons, with a Pac 12 title and a Big Ten title in back-to-back seasons. He's taken the Ducks to the College Football Playoff each of the last two seasons.
Oregon should be among the best teams in the country to start the season. recently, CBS Sports ranked every team in college football after spring workouts and had the Ducks at No. 3 behind only Ohio State and Texas.
The Ducks are talented enough to crush the Cowboys and set a tone for the season that could make it hard for Oklahoma State to put 2025 behind it. All the Ducks have to do is beat the Cowboys like they did last year, something they have the talent to do and something Oklahoma State must do everything to avoid.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as How The Oregon Ducks Could Ruin Oklahoma State's Season Once Again.
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