That hard lesson came during Oklahoma State's disastrous 2024 season, when the Cowboys stumbled to a 3-9 record and missed a bowl game for the first time in nearly two decades. It was an obvious low point for a program known for winning in the Gundy era.

Consistency, culture and chemistry have been OSU pillars under Mike Gundy. But how do the rebuilt Cowboys develop those for a bounce-back season?

Oklahoma State is looking to be among the top in college football again in the near future, which makes the playoff format a massive topic. Over the past few years, playoff expansion and format modification has been one of the hottest topics in college football.