Cowboys make quite a statement

Let’s take a little trip back in time. It’s not a long journey. Just a few months.

Perhaps you’ll remember the talk before this football season about Oklahoma State. The Cowboys looked like they were going to be better with an experienced offense and an improving defense. But where were the wins going to come from? There were tons of tough games on the road and plenty more tough ones at home.

Most pundits and prognosticators, yours truly included, figured six or seven wins might be the best-case scenario for this team.

Now, on the eve of the Holiday Bowl, the Cowboys have a chance to win 10 games for the first time in a long time.

The 10-win plateau is quite an accomplishment in and of itself. It’s one of those high water marks in sports. If a college football team wins 10 games in a season, it’s had a darn good year.

And that’s what the Cowboys have had.

But it’s been made all the more impressive by how much this team has exceeded expectations. That is no easy task playing in the Big 12, and it’s even more difficult when you’re in the South Division. OSU didn’t just survive the minefield. It thrived there. The Cowboys scored a big win at Missouri, they gave Texas all it wanted in Austin, and they left no doubt who was better against Texas A&M.