Which bowl might OSU draw if it secures sixth win?
STILLWATER — The clock is ticking on Oklahoma State’s pursuit of a 13th consecutive bowl appearance.
Coming off last Saturday’s Bedlam heartbreaker, the Cowboys are 5-5 with a top-10 opponent, West Virginia, coming to Boone Pickens Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.
Then the Pokes close the regular season with a game they’ll likely be favored to win at TCU on Thanksgiving weekend.
The value of a bowl berth is high, and its reach is wide.
It’s another nationally televised game to put your team in front of eyeballs that might not always get a chance to see you.
In recent years, OSU has rarely found itself in this situation, needing a win in one of the last two games to nail down bowl eligibility. But in that situation, getting to a bowl game could be a motivating factor.
“You would like to get some rewards for the players for all the work they’ve put in,” said OSU coach Mike Gundy, who has guided his teams to a bowl every year except his first in 2005.
Of course, the most valuable aspect of a bowl game is the extra 15 practices that come with it, particularly for a team that will be starting a new quarterback next season, while moving into the second season of coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense.
If they get the elusive sixth win, the Cowboys could end up a few different places.
Here’s a look at the Big
12 bowls and the scenarios facing OSU:
• Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, vs. Pac-12: First pick after the New Year’s Six bowls, it’s doubtful that OSU could climb this high, but the Cowboys have a strong reputation with the San Antonio folks.
• Camping World Bowl, Orlando, Florida, vs. ACC: Even if the Cowboys were in position for this, making a return trip to the same bowl as last season would be unlikely.
• Texas Bowl, Houston, vs. SEC: This is more in the realm of where OSU would potentially fall, but there could be a Texas team or two that would be more attractive, especially if Texas A&M is in the opponent mix.
• Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tennessee, vs. SEC: The Pokes have never been there and would be an attractive draw, with an opponent like Missouri or South Carolina among the possibilities.
• Cheez-It Bowl, Phoenix, vs. Pac-12: It’s dependent on how some other teams finish, but this might currently be the most likely destination for a 6-6 Cowboy team. OSUUSC sound fun?
• Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, Texas, vs. American Athletic Conference: It’s not a guarantee that the Big 12 will have enough six-win teams to fill this slot, and if they do, OSU probably still goes off the board before this bowl gets to pick.