After what may have felt like an eternity for many, it is finally "Game Week" for fans throughout the Big 12 Conference. That includes those Cowboys in Stillwater that are looking to capitalize on a 2021 campaign that was capped off with a Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. Sure, it's a new season, but there's never a bad time to mention topping the Irish in an NY6 Bowl.
Mike Gundy and company head into Oklahoma State Football's 123rd campaign, with 2022 marking the head coach's 18th season at the helm. The Cowboys will host Central Michigan out of the Mid-American Conference inside Boone Pickens Stadium on Thursday night with kickoff set for 6p CT, 7p ET.
Oklahoma State's season opener will be an opportunity for Mike Gundy to reach a major milestone. With a career record of 149-69, his next win will mark the 150th victory of his head coaching career. It would make him just the fourth active FBS coach with 150 wins at his current school, joining Alabama's Nick Saban, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Clemson's Dabo Swinney.
The Cowboys have been able to start the season at home quite frequently of late. Thursday's game marks the sixth time in the past seven years that Oklahoma State has kicked off things in Stillwater. It also marks the 64th time OSU has opened its season at home. OSU's overall record in season openers is 76-40-6, while its overall record in home openers is 87-29-5 and its overall record in season openers at home is 53-5-5. Oklahoma State has won 26 consecutive home openers for the longest such streak in school history, and the Cowboys have won 46 of their past 52 home openers. When it comes to season openers overall, OSU has won each of its past seven and 16 of its past 18. The 2022 season also marks the 12th time during Mike Gundy's tenure that the Cowboys have opened with a home game, and the Cowboys are undefeated in the previous 11. OSU has outscored opponents, 803-243, in home openers during the Gundy era for an average score of 47-14. Gundy is 15-2 overall in season openers, with his only setbacks at No. 13 Georgia in 2007 and versus No. 1 Florida State in 2014. Including this season, the Cowboys have now opened four of the past six and five of the past eight seasons with a non-Saturday game.
The matchup against the Chippewas will mark OSU's first Thursday game since the Pokes hosted Missouri State to open the 2018 season. The Cowboys are 11-0 in Thursday games under Mike Gundy's leadership, including an 8-0 record in regular season games. Oklahoma State holds a 28-17-4 record in games played on Thursdays and a 106-79-12 record in non-Saturday games.
Oklahoma State vs CMU: The History
Thursday's game marks the third meeting between Oklahoma State and Central Michigan with the first two matchups coming in 2015 and 2016. The Cowboys won the first game, 24-13, in Mount Pleasant to open the 2015 season. The Chippewas were credited with a 30-27 win in the next matchup in Stillwater in 2016, but it is worth noting that it was one of the most controversial outcomes in college football history as Central Michigan was erroneously given an extra play that changed the outcome after the game should have ended by rule with the Cowboys winning 27-24. Although OSU has faced CMU twice, the Cowboys are 5-1 in school history against current members of the Mid-American Conference, with wins over CMU, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois with an average score of 35-17 in those games. Coach Mike Gundy's record against Central Michigan is 1-1, while CMU coach Jim McElwain has never faced Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State at a Glance
Oklahoma State football is fresh off one of its best seasons in school history. The Cowboys tied a school record with 12 wins, finished first in the Big 12 regular season standings, defeated No. 5 Notre Dame in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and were the only FBS team with three wins over 11-win teams. It was just the latest chapter in a long run of success for what is now an undisputed top-10 FBS program. OSU ranks among the top-10 nationally in wins over the past decade and has won 73% of its games (113-42) since 2010. The Cowboys have also now extended school-record streaks of 16 consecutive bowl bids and 16 consecutive winning seasons, to go along with historic marks on both sides of the ball in that time frame. That consistency has brought a level of expectation to Stillwater that has only grown each year, and 2022 is no different. With first team All-Big 12 quarterback Spencer Sanders entering his fourth year as a starter, 45 letterwinners returning from last year's 12-win team, 10 starters back on offense and five back on defense, the Cowboys are on the fringe of being a preseason top-10 team for a reason.
Central Michigan at a Glance
The Chippewas lost a lot of offensive production from a year ago, especially when you're talking about the wide receivers. Standouts Kalil Pimpleton and JaCorey Sullivan are now gone, leaving Dallas Dixon as the top returning wideout for 2022. Dixon recorded 701 yards on 45 catches for eight touchdowns a season ago. The Chippewa offense is undoubtedly centered around running back Lew Nichols III, who is the reigning NCAA rushing leader and 2021 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
