Just When You Thought It Couldn’t Get Worse … It Does
When Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy, many thought it was the low point of the season. When they followed that by letting defensive coordinator Todd Grantham go, the mood didn’t lift much but there remained hope. Hope that the players might rally. Hope that the interim coaches could ignite something. Instead, Saturday’s blowout loss to Houston made one thing clear: things are far more broken than many realized.
After the coaching change expectations were muted. But there was still a faint optimism that with new leadership, even if temporary, the Cowboys could at least compete, scrap for close games, and show heart. Instead, the roster has been hit hard by the transfer portal, the coaching upheaval landed midseason, and now both on offense and defense, this team is collapsing in plain view.
It’s unfair to place blame on the interim coaches entirely. They were thrust into roles they haven’t held before, or haven’t occupied in years, with huge responsibilities and very little runway. Add to that the roster upheaval the moment the 30‑day transfer portal window opened, and the fact that this mess wasn’t of their making, it’s too much to expect miracles overnight.
But fans are running out of patience. Wins feel far away not just because of the coaching staff, but because of how this team loses: without fight, without adjustment, without energy. After Houston dismantled them on their own field, yet again, morale across the program and university is hemorrhaging.
The defense has now dipped to become the worst in the Big 12 and among the bottom 10 in FBS. The offense offers little joy — no consistent punch, no spark, no identity. For a program long accustomed to success, this is alien territory. The feeling now is one of urgency: fans want the turnaround fast, and the athletic department knows it.
To stem the bleeding, Oklahoma State will need more than a change at the top. They need stability, clarity, and a way to salvage dignity in each game. Because right now, the program feels unmoored — and the only thing more damaging than losing is doing it in such bleak fashion, every week.