Where will the Cowboys go?
Although Oklahoma State’s regular season has ended, it remains unclear which bowl the Cowboys will go to.
STILLWATER — Another wild week of college football provided the latest shake-up to the bowl scenarios.
Oklahoma State’s future will be made a little clearer after Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings are released, and the Big 12 Championship Game remains the big factor that could impact OSU’s bowl future, which will be finalized on Sunday.
Oklahoma State has locked itself into third place all alone in the Big 12 standings after Kansas State knocked off Iowa State on Saturday, leaving the Cowboys as the only team with a 6-3 Big 12 record.
But the bowls have flexibility in which teams they choose, meaning OSU could end up in one of a variety of locations between the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, the Texas Bowl in Houston or the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Several bowl projections from national media anticipate TCU getting into the top 11 of the CFP rankings, and thus, earning a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game.
TCU was ranked No. 12 last week.
With that, those outlets think OSU will be the first Big 12 team off the board, going to the Alamo Bowl with Washington being the popular opponent selection. USC and Stanford made a couple of appearances in projections.
NBC Sports was the top notable media outlet whose bowl projections expect TCU to fall out of New Year’s Six consideration, putting TCU in the Alamo and OSU in the Camping World Bowl against Virginia Tech.
Ateman just misses Senior Day TD
Oklahoma State’s Marcell Ateman had a couple of big moments during his final game at Boone Pickens Stadium, his 54-yard reception on the Cowboys’ first offensive drive being one of them.
Of course, had it been a 58-yard reception, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Ateman would’ve had a Senior Day touchdown to celebrate as well — a fact quarterback Mason Rudolph enjoyed ribbing his fellow senior about after freshman Dillon Stoner scored on a 76-yard reception.
“That’s how you take a ball and you score. You don’t get tackled on the 1,” Rudolph said with a sarcastic smile. “Marcell, it’s your Senior Day. Score!”
Extra points
•James Washington’s 106 receiving yards on Saturday brought his career total to 4,346, just 68 yards behind Rashaun Woods’ school-record total of 4,414.
•Justice Hill’s 58 rushing yards on Saturday brought his season total to 1,347, which ranks 14th all-time at OSU. He would need 177 yards in the bowl game to crack the top 10, with David Thompson’s 1996 season (1,524 yards) in the 10th spot.
•Though he isn’t classified as a senior for football purposes, OSU receiver Austin Parker took part in Senior Day activities on Saturday. The redshirt junior walk-on from Grapevine, Texas, joined the program in 2015 after playing his freshman year at Southeastern Oklahoma State. He was on the field for the team’s final possession against Kansas. Originally from Claremore, he is the son of former Oklahoma State receiver Brent Parker.