OSU football: Pokes can't dwell on big win
looking ahead: Big victories are often followed by big losses, so OSU has to focus on Baylor
By Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
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Published: October 13, 2008
STILLWATER — Imagine that instead of being on a football field in Columbia, Mo., Saturday night, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were on a golf course.
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OSU 28, Missouri 23
Oct 12The Oklahoman's Tim Money recaps the highlights of the OSU-Missouri...
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OSU vs. Top 10
Saturday night’s 28-23 win over No. 3 Missouri is among the most significant wins in the last 50 years at Oklahoma State. Since joining the Big Eight Conference in 1958, the Cowboys are 10-77-1 against top 10 teams. Five of those wins have been on the road, and few had the implications the Missouri win carried.
Here are OSU’s previous wins over top 10 opponents:
→2002
Won 38-28 vs. No. 3 Oklahoma
→2001
Won 16-13 at No. 4 Oklahoma
→1984
Won 21-14 vs. No. 7 South Carolina (Gator Bowl)
→1976
Won 20-19 vs. No. 10 Missouri
Won 31-24 at No. 5 Oklahoma
Won 21-14 vs. No. 8 Kansas
→1974
Won 26-7 at No. 10 Arkansas
→1972
Won 31-6 vs. No. 3 Colorado
→1967
Won 10-7 at No. 3 Colorado
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Instead of facing the nation’s No. 3 team on the road as 14-point underdogs, they were facing a 30-foot eagle putt — a slippery, downhill double-breaker.
And they sunk it.
But the Cowboys are just now making the turn and this week, they’re looking at a straight-in eight-footer for par when better-than-usual Baylor visits
Boone Pickens Stadium.
But there are several distractions.
OSU football is stretching into the national realm, evident by the appearance of ESPN.com and
CBS Sportsline writers joining local media on coach
Mike Gundy’s regular Sunday conference call, which rarely has a guest from beyond Oklahoma’s borders.
OSU is 6-0, ranked No. 8. On a national scale, that puts them in the discussion for the BCS championship game.
"I don’t think that’s even worth talking about right now,” Gundy said Sunday.
He’s right. A loss to the
Bears on Saturday will get the Cowboys out of that discussion as quickly as they’ve put themselves in it.
Locally, fans and fellow students will be praising the players for what they did in Columbia.
Fans can afford to take the week to celebrate the victory. But the OSU players should have turned their attention toward Baylor long before these words ever appeared in print.
Because in college football these days, big victories have a short shelf life. Anyone pay attention to what
Oregon State did Saturday? How about Mississippi?
Both followed major upsets over top 10 teams with losses to... does it matter?
Lose to Baylor this week and in the eyes of the nation that upset of
Missouri suddenly becomes a cool thing that happened a couple weeks ago rather than a momentum-building, program-defining victory.
And the Cowboys become a statistic. Another loss by a top 10 team in another year full of upsets.
Gundy shouldn’t have to remind his team about that, considering the upset they pulled off Saturday night.
"Nothing changes for us. Our weekly plan stays the same,” Gundy said. "We’ll concern ourselves with this week. We’re not good enough to look past anybody.”
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again, very smart article Scott!