Oklahoma State football: Texas game kick-starts wild conference ride for Cowboys

And with the full-fledged Big 12 schedule nearly beginning this weekend (TCU plays SMU) — not to mention preseason title favorite OU already taking a loss — OSU coach Mike Gundy and Co. are preparing for a wild ride through the conference season. In addition to OSU's primetime showdown with the No. 12 Longhorns, No. 9 West Virginia hosts No. 25 Baylor and Texas Tech travels to Iowa State in a trio of games that appear to be toss-ups.

“It's wide open, because there are a lot of teams that are really good,” Gundy said “ … I think there's more parity this year than there ever has been. Every year, it's growing more and more in that area, which is good.

“It's good for the league. It's good for the fans. It creates interest. It's hard on the coaches, but there's a number of teams that are good football teams.”

OPPONENT WATCH: TEXAS PREPPING FOR FAST-PACED COWBOY OFFENSE

The fact OSU ranks in the top 6 in the nation in scoring offense, total offense, passing offense and rushing offense isn't what concerns Texas defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.

It's the number of plays the Cowboys run. OSU has snapped the ball 267 times in three games, an average of 89 plays per game.

“It's hard to be a really good defensive player for 75, 85, 95 plays,” Diaz told the Longhorn Network. “You're just going to get worn out. This is a test. Another great example of what we were able to get accomplished on the bye week is that it's not just testing our first 11, it's testing our second 11.