Editor’s note: This is a story from “Gundy’s 20th,” The O’Colly’s weekly series to commemorate OSU football head coach Mike Gundy’s 20th season as the leading man. This week, we rank Gundy’s 20 seasons at OSU.
In Mike Gundy’s 19 complete seasons as Oklahoma State’s head coach, he’s made a bowl game the last 18 seasons.
His winning percentage is 68.1% through three weeks of his 20th season.
There have been a handful of great Cowboy football seasons under Gundy, so this week’s “Gundy’s 20th” story includes a top-20 ranking of the Cowboys’ seasons under Gundy.
No. 1: 2011 (12-1, Fiesta Bowl champion)
It’s the chalk answer, yes, but it’s the right one — the 2011 OSU football season is not only the best under Gundy but the best in program history. Home wins against No. 10 OU (Gundy’s first Bedlam win) and No. 17 Kansas State and road wins against No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 22 Texas highlighted the Cowboys’ season. A loss to Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, is the one blemish on this season, and if it weren’t for that, OSU could’ve competed for a national title. Instead, it defeated No. 4 Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl and claimed Gundy’s only Big 12 title.
No. 2: 2021 (12-2, Fiesta Bowl champion)
There’s a real argument to be made that this season could be above 2011. Wins against No. 10 OU, No. 21 Baylor, No. 25 Texas and No. 25 Kansas State outweigh the Cowboys’ lone regular season loss (once again) at Iowa State. This was the Cowboys’ first Big 12 Championship Game appearance, and they came up 6 inches short of winning the game. But OSU defeated No. 5 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl 37-35 and completed the largest comeback in school history.
No. 3: 2013 (10-3, Cotton Bowl appearance)
Three ranked wins — including one against No. 3 Baylor with College GameDay in Stillwater — and a Cotton Bowl appearance highlight this season, which was the third 10-win season in four years for Gundy and Co.
No. 4: 2010 (11-2, Alamo Bowl champion)
Despite the extra win, 2013 edges out the 2010 season because of ranked wins (three in 2013 to one), which means more than an unranked bowl win. Still, the Cowboys defeated Baylor and won a well-respected bowl game against Arizona.
No. 5: 2023 (10-4, Texas Bowl champion)
This is the weirdest season to rank. Losses to South Alabama and Iowa State keep last year’s squad from being any higher, but wins against No. 9 OU (in the final Bedlam, of course) and No. 23 Kansas and a Big 12 Championship Game appearance elevate the 2023 Cowboys’ season.
No. 6: 2008 (9-4, Holiday Bowl appearance)
Another difficult season to rank. The 2008 OSU season was highlighted by wins against No. 3 Missouri (on the road) and Texas A&M. The Cowboys were ranked as high as No. 7, but losses to No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 3 OU and ultimately No. 15 Oregon in the Holiday Bowl pulled their ranking down.
No. 7: 2009 (9-4, Cotton Bowl appearance)
Yet another difficult season to rank. Opening the season with a win against No. 13 Georgia was a statement, and so was beating Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. But losses to No. 3 Texas, OU and Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl lowered the ceiling of this season.
No. 8: 2016 (10-3, Alamo Bowl champion)
The Cowboys went 3-2 against ranked teams this season, with wins coming against No. 10 West Virginia and No. 22 Texas in the regular season and No. 10 Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
No. 9: 2017 (10-3, Camping World Bowl champion)
OSU lost both its home-ranked games this season — No. 5 OU and No. 16 TCU — but defeated No. 21 Iowa State and No. 22 West Virginia on the road before beating No. 22 Virginia Tech in the Camping World Bowl.
No. 10: 2015 (10-3, Sugar Bowl appearance)
After climbing from unranked to No. 8 after starting the season 10-0, OSU lost to No. 10 Baylor and No. 3 OU in Stillwater before losing to No. 12 Ole Miss to finish the season 10-3.
No. 11: 2018 (7-6, Liberty Bowl appearance)
The Cowboys went 4-1 against ranked teams — including wins against No. 5 Texas and No. 7 West Virginia — but five losses to unranked Big 12 teams pulled their ranking down.
No. 12: 2020 (8-3, Cheez-It Bowl champion)
Wins against No. 14 Miami (in the Cheez-It Bowl) and No. 17 Iowa State help the 2020 team, of which two of its three losses came to ranked opponents.
No. 13: 2012 (8-5, Heart of Dallas Bowl champion)
OSU was unranked for most of this season, and lost every game it played against a ranked opponent other than No. 23 Texas Tech. A Heart of Dallas Bowl win against Purdue helps, though (back when bowl games used to matter).
No. 14: 2019 (8-5, Texas Bowl appearance)
The 2019 Cowboys were unranked or hung around the last five spots of the top 25, as their 2-3 record against other ranked teams often shifted their ranking one way or the other.
No. 15: 2006 (7-6, Independence Bowl champion)
Beating No. 20 Nebraska in Stillwater and Alabama (unranked or not, it’s the Crimson Tide) in the Independence Bowl were statement wins early in Gundy’s tenure.
No. 16: 2022 (7-6, Guaranteed Rate Bowl appearance)
After starting out 5-1 — with ranked wins against No. 16 Baylor and No. 20 Texas — the Cowboys lost five of their last six to finish 7-6. Because of injuries and other reasons, it’s considered one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
No. 17: 2014 (7-6, Cactus Bowl champion)
Other than Bedlam — largely courtesy of Tyreek Hill’s punt return — the Cowboys lost every big game this season: No. 1 Florida State, No. 5 Baylor, No. 11 Kansas State, No. 12 TCU and No. 22 West Virginia. For OSU, though, one Bedlam win meant more than winning most of those games.
No. 18: 2007 (7-6, Insight Bowl champion)
OSU defeated No. 25 Kansas State in its Homecoming game but couldn’t win any of its other four ranked games. An Insight Bowl appearance against Indiana did increase Gundy’s bowl streak (and winning streak in those games) to two.
No. 19: 2005 (4-7)
Considering Gundy’s 18 straight bowl game seasons, naturally, the only season that OSU didn’t reach one under him is at the bottom of this list. Even in Gundy’s first season, though, the Cowboys were knocking off ranked teams — like No. 13 Texas Tech.
No. 20/TBD: 2024
This season is TBD, but Gundy’s bowl streak living on is the expectation, and so is competing for the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance.
sports.ed@ocolly.com
