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Oklahoma State football 2024 schedule takeaways: Cowboys close vs. Deion Sanders, Colorado

Scott Wright, The Oklahoman
·4 min read

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s 2024 Big 12 football schedule will open with one of the Cowboys’ most important games and close with one of their most anticipated ones.

Following a non-conference schedule of South Dakota State, Arkansas and Tulsa, the Pokes will jump into Big 12 action by hosting league newcomer Utah on Sept. 21, according to the schedule released by the conference office on Tuesday.

And Thanksgiving weekend brings the eagerly awaited meeting between Mike Gundy and Deion Sanders when Colorado hosts the Cowboys on Friday, Nov. 29.

In between, the Cowboys welcome another league newcomer for homecoming and reunite with some familiar foes from Texas.

Here are three takeaways from the OSU football schedule:

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Home games early and often for OSU

Boone Pickens Stadium’s south bleachers are currently in the middle of a remodel, but the new seats will get plenty of use early in the season.

While OSU has six home games on the schedule for 2024, four of them will be played by the first week of October.

The Cowboys host South Dakota State (Aug. 31) and Arkansas (Sept. 7) to open the season, then welcome Utah on Sept. 21. Two weeks later on Oct. 5, West Virginia comes to BPS.

After that, the Cowboys’ lone home games are Arizona State on Nov. 2 and Texas Tech on Nov. 23.

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Coach Mike Gundy and the Cowboys haven't been to Boulder, Colorado, since 2008, when it defeated they Buffs 30-17.
Coach Mike Gundy and the Cowboys haven't been to Boulder, Colorado, since 2008, when it defeated they Buffs 30-17.

Where is the Cowboys' toughest stretch?

OSU has the first of two open weeks on Oct. 12 (the other is Nov. 16), exactly the midway point of the 12-game regular season. And by the time it arrives, the Cowboys will be ready for a rest.

Really, the first five games could provide the toughest stretch of the season.

South Dakota State has won 29 straight games in the Football Championship Subdivision. Arkansas isn’t masquerading as the 1985 Bears, but it’s a legitimate program with the capability of beating just about anyone.

The Sept. 14 trip to Tulsa induces fewer nerves, but can’t be taken lightly as coach Kevin Wilson enters the second year of his rebuild project.

Then the Pokes enter into Big 12 play against two teams that are grouped with OSU in the top tier of contenders for the conference crown. Utah visits Stillwater, then the Cowboys go to what has recently been an unfriendly place — Kansas State’s Bill Snyder Family Stadium — on Sept. 28.

OSU has lost two of its last three trips to Manhattan, Kansas, including the disastrous 48-0 beating in 2022.

Late October could provide another tough four-week run that includes road games at BYU, Baylor and TCU, with a homecoming game against Arizona State in the middle. But right now, it’s hard to know what to expect from Baylor and TCU as they try to bounce back from down seasons.

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A grand finale for OSU vs. Deion Sanders, Colorado

From the moment it was revealed Colorado would return to the Big 12, the matchup of OSU coach Mike Gundy and the Buffaloes’ Deion Sanders instantly became the most intriguing coaching duel in the league.

And the conference set it for the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, potentially giving the game a massive television audience.

Oklahoma State could be battling for a spot in the following week’s Big 12 Championship Game, and considering the amount of turnover on the Colorado roster, Coach Prime’s squad could be fighting for the same — or it could be chasing bowl eligibility.

Either way, the game will draw national attention and could find itself with limited competition for eyeballs.

Of course, a late-November date in the Rocky Mountains offers the unpredictability of weather.

OSU hasn’t been to Boulder, Colorado, since 2008, when it defeated the Buffs 30-17.

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

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Oklahoma State 2024 football schedule

  • Aug. 31: vs. South Dakota State

  • Sept. 7: vs. Arkansas

  • Sept. 14: at Tulsa

  • Sept. 21: vs. Utah

  • Sept. 28: at Kansas State

  • Oct. 5: vs. West Virginia

  • Oct. 12: Open

  • Oct. 19: at BYU

  • Oct. 26: at Baylor

  • Nov. 2: vs. Arizona State (Homecoming)

  • Nov. 9: at TCU

  • Nov. 16: Open

  • Nov. 23: vs. Texas Tech

  • Nov. 29 (Friday): at Colorado

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football 2024 schedule: OSU Cowboys close at Colorado