OSU-Mississippi State Deal Closer?

A Houston TV station is reporting that OSU and Mississippi State have reached a “tentative agreement” to play next season in Houston, a possible matchup first reported by The Oklahoman.

When contacted Tuesday, Cowboys athletic director Mike Holder responded in a text message: “We are still exploring our options.”

One possible concern for OSU is the removal of a potential home game from Boone Pickens Stadium. If the Cowboys open in Houston, their schedule would then feature six home and five road games, along with the neutral site clash.

The Big 12-SEC pairing, if finalized, would presumably pit the Cowboys and Bulldogs in the 2013 season opener on national television at Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans.

OSU has an opening for the first weekend of the season, with nonconference games set for the following two weeks: Sept. 7 at Texas-San Antonio (former Cowboys assistant Larry Coker’s startup team); and Sept. 14 at home against Lamar.

Fox 26 Sports cited college football sources in its reporting, which links Lone Star Sports and Entertainment – a third-party event marketing company closely associated with the Houston Texans – as brokering the potential deal.

LSSE works with ESPN annually in holding the Meineke Car Care Bowl at Reliant Stadium.