Who do we lose? Our two linebackers are out of eligibility and KHP probably goes pro. Those are three great players, but all of our excellent pass rushers are back and probably all of our secondary besides KHP and Christian Holmes. Holmes is a nice player, but should be replaceable.
On top of that, we should get Trace Ford and Tre Sterling back who were missing this season. Maybe losing Rodriguez as the anchor makes us worse, but if we can replace him with someone competent, I can see the increased seasoning of our D (especially someone like Collin Oliver) making our D even better next year. Our biggest concern (for now, knock on wood) is how are we going to get all of this talent on the field.
On offense, we need to replace Martin, Warren, and a couple on O-line. The guys we’re bringing in on O-line look great on paper. We have a ton of young wideouts who got big minutes and looked good doing it. RB is the biggest question mark.
It was fabulous compared to what we thought it would be.
Don’t get me wrong, not winning the Big12 and not being in the CFP 4 was disappointing, but I never in my wildest dreams thought this team with Sanders & that Oline would have 10 wins.
To whom much is given, much is expected. No coach prior to Gundy ever had the resources or support or equity that he has had during his tenure. By taking advantage of those things, Gundy has been able to raise that bar. In junior high and high school, I never even dared to dream of Oklahoma State winning multiple conference titles. Certainly never imagined being in position to win a national championship. Not in my lifetime. Probably not in my child’s lifetime. But now….with the changing landscape of college football (NIL, transfer portal, conference realignment) it does actually seem possible that I could live to see Oklahoma State win a national championship in football. Continuity at head coach with Mike Gundy is certainly a major factor in that belief.
I know Gundy said basically all those Super Sr’s would be back, but ill believe it when I see it. You will lose the best player in the league IMO in Rodriguez, as well as another LB and a few Secondary guys. Im just saying that I dont see how the defense is BETTER than this year. A defense like that doesnt happen every year…opportunities like being a 4pt favorite and having to beat Baylor with their 2nd string QB to get to the playoff with the best defense youve had in decades…doesnt happen very often. Im just saying that the massive, massive odds are that OSU will take some degree of a step back in 2022.
Massive odds? That’s silly. We thought our best player on defense this year was going to be Trace Ford. Knock on wood, he’s healthy next year. Yeah, losing Rodriguez isn’t great, but don’t you think Knowles’s system was at least partially responsible for his success?
Now, if we were to lose Knowles, that would set us back. Maybe someone on the defensive staff could keep it going, maybe not. Otherwise, I think the odds are that our defense is at least comparable to this year.
Wow. Your team lost its head coach (supposedly top 5) and like 50 recruiting stars, but they still think they’re doing great.
Look, I’m not happy to lose Knowles. I think he’s a great coach, but everyone panicked when we lost Holgerson after 2010, but Monken came in 2011 and kept it rolling. Is Colin Oliver going to forget how to sack QBs? Go shove your massive odds somewhere, goon.
How about we make a bet on it? We make it back to the Big XII title game next year and you delete your account and never post here ever ever again, and the same for me otherwise.
I’m already starting to feel really good about it.
Dude……I’ve said multiple times how OU was in some trouble.
Making it back is the bet?!?! Way to go out on a limb hoss. You’re the one spouting off about how good your school is, not me…….which sounds like a typical OU fan. I just said that catching lightning in a bottle in back to back years ain’t happening……& you got your panties in a wad. You wanna bet on Bedlam next year? I’m all in. You wanna bet on who’s got the better defense? Sign me up.
All year, you’re like “OSU’s defense is all right for the conference” and now a top 3 program comes and gets Knowles and now it is a catastrophic setback. What a clown.
No, what I said was OSU’s defense was the best in this Conf that is full of crappy defenses. I also said the best player, regardless of position, was Malcolm Rodriguez. I saw OU light that defense up for a half, and then they dominated OU in the 2nd half. I saw Baylor’s 2nd string QB have a decent amount of success too. The OSU defense is really good. It’s not great. I stand by that.
So OU losing Lincoln Riley is a major setback……but OSU losing a guy that was up for the Broyles award, orchestrated the best defense OSU has had in years, and was what most people on this site say is the best coach in Stillwater………isn’t a major, major setback. Got it.
I define Oklahoma State’s season as a success based on my low expectations heading into it. This program’s best years have generally been driven by a proficient offense. I felt no reason to believe Spencer Sanders was capable of leading one based on his so-so first two seasons of play, which was an opinion further bolstered by the team’s inexperience at WR and lack of a clear replacement for Hubbard at RB.
I think the conference championship validates that opinion. This offense looks like it has the mindset of trying not to lose the game (which it failed doing with 4 INTs most recently) vs. being the catalyst to winning. And maybe that’s truly its ceiling. Spencer Sanders hasn’t been a Weeden/Rudolph, Tay Martin isn’t a Washington/Wallace, and Jaylen Warren isn’t talented enough to compensate for a lackluster passing game and mediocre offensive line. Premium talent, as of today, hasn’t revealed itself on this unit.
So let that all sink again, take a slow breath, and realize that the Oklahoma State football program just won 11 games for the third time in its entire 108 year history. No Weeden. No Justin Blackmon. No players like Dez Bryant on the cover of Sports Illustrated. No projected 1st round NFL picks on either side of the ball. It’s questionable if they even had an equivalent to an underwear thief (ahem, Joseph Randle). Oklahoma State became nationally renowned with a largely mediocre offense by doing something it hadn’t ever accomplished: by building a steamroller of a defense.
I’m disappointed Oklahoma State isn’t the Big 12 Champion. But admittedly maybe I’m more at peace with it because I was one of the students rushing the field when they beat OU in 2011. I’ve already gotten to see them be one of the best team’s in the country. Today I watch Oklahoma State much like an Oakland A’s fan might have watched their team in the early 2000s: just hoping moneyball, or in our case a bunch of 3-star recruits, are enough to take down the most prestigious programs in the nation. And this season I’ve gotten to witness that (beat Notre Dame!). It has been a joy.
